Emperors, leaders and dictators

Dictators and leaders

Aetius (390–454) – the tragic end of „the last Roman”

Dictators and leaders

Alberic II (909? – 954) – an annihilator of his own mother and a prince of Rome

Roman emperors and their associates

Antinous (approx. 110–130 A.D.) – a youth, for whom the emperor lost his mind

Dictators and leaders

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) – successor of emperors; a charismatic and adored leader

Dictators and leaders

Cesare Borgia (1476–1507) – papal offspring whom the whole world feared

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Antoninus Pius (86–161) – a god-fearing, reasonable and just host

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Domitian (51–96) - a great constructor and a despot hated by the Senate

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Hadrian (76–138) – a traveler and an admirer of Greek culture

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Honorius (384–423) – the one, who allowed Rome to be plundered

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Caracalla (188–217) – a brutal madman or a victim of propaganda?

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Commodus (161–192) – an unfortunate son of a great father

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Maxentius (278–312) – an oppressor or a victim of a black legend?

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121–180)– a philosopher on the imperial throne

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Nerva (30–98) – a reasonable, gentle and wise emperor

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Romulus Augustulus (approx. 463–ok. 536) – the last emperor of the Western Empire and….nothing more

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Septimius Severus (145–211) – the one, who made the army into a leading force in the empire

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Theodosius the Great (347–395) – the one, who turned imperium Romanum into imperium Christianum

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Trajan (53–117) – the ideal Roman ruler – courageous, generous and on good terms with the Senate

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Titus (39–81) – the conqueror of Jerusalem and lover of Berenice

Roman emperors and their associates

Emperor Velentinian III (419–455) – the pathetic mutiny of a marginalized ruler

Roman emperors and their associates

Empress Domitia Longina (53?–128?) – respected and condemned, the fate of the wife of the last Flavian

Roman emperors and their associates

Helena – from an innkeeper to a saint, meaning how legends are made

Roman emperors and their associates

Empress Julia Domna (150/160? – 217) – an ambitious ruler and an unhappy mother

Roman emperors and their associates

Galla Placidia (390–450) – an exceptional woman, worth as much as several tons of grain

Roman emperors and their associates

Honoria (418–455?) – an emancipator or a tool of political calculations?

Roman emperors and their associates

Constantina – an imperial daughter and an enigmatic saint

Dictators and leaders

Odoacer (433–493) – the fall of the empire, meaning how an intelligent illiterate became a Roman king

Dictators and leaders

Theodoric the Great (441–526) – a barbarian, for whom Romans erected monuments

House of Savoy and contemporary leaders

Victor Emanuel III (1869–1947) – a king rejected and unwanted

Sleeping Hermaphrodite – the ever-present third gender

News
News

Sleeping Hermaphrodite – the ever-present third gender

The figure of the Hermaphrodite stimulated the imagination of the people of Antiquity in a particular way. A being of two genders – both female and male – seemed privileged exceptional, and completely ideal, however, it also aroused ambivalent feelings and suspicion. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a figure with male genitalia and female breasts garnered a lot of attention both in literature as well as in the visual arts. When it comes to the latter, the favored topic (although not the only one), was a sleeping Hermaphrodite. This is how he is depicted, stretched on b...

See more

Simon Vouet’s Herodias with the Head of St. John the Baptist – femme fatale of the Baroque

News
News

Simon Vouet’s Herodias with the Head of St. John the Baptist – femme fatale of the Baroque

Femme fatale is associated with painting and literature of the XIX century – with women who devoured the hearts of men, cold-blooded demons of sex who with premeditation led men to their downfall. However, beautiful, erotic, attractive, but at the same time ruthless and sophisticated women have always fascinated artists. We can find them in ancient literature and mythology, as well as in the Old and New Testaments. We can also see them in the painting creations of Caravaggio and his successors because it was exactly in the XVII century when Salome, Judith, and Herodias became fashionable...

See more

Spada Chapel – ancestors, meaning capital which cannot be underestimated

News
News

Spada Chapel – ancestors, meaning capital which cannot be underestimated

Numerous posthumous chapels, which we can see during a pilgrimage through Roman churches are generally filled with decorations and works of art. They arouse our respect, and approval, and let our thoughts linger on the grandeur and significance of the family, but above all their sense of art. It is quite seldom that we think about them in purely practical categories, not to say mercantile. It is a rare situation indeed that we can say that the main motive of their creation was not only the desire to immortalize one’s fame, but also the prestige of future, yet unborn successors of the fam...

See more