Severan Tondo

The circular wooden panel measures 35 centimeters in diameter and holds a rare survival from classical antiquity. Tempera paint on wood depicts the Roman emperor Septimius Severus standing on the viewer's right side. His wife Julia Domna occupies the left position with their two sons Caracalla and Geta positioned before them. All four figures wear jeweled gold wreaths and imperial insignia that have suffered some loss over time. The boys hold sceptres whose upper parts once bore imperial symbols but are now missing due to modern cutting. Julia Domna displays her distinctive hairstyle crimped into parallel locks possibly originating from Syria or worn as a wig. Artistic conventions of the era typically depicted women with fairer skin while men appeared darker than they actually were.

Deliberate Iconoclasm

One son's face has been obliterated through a deliberate act of iconoclasm executed after his murder by Caracalla's Praetorian Guard. The vacant space was smeared with excrement as part of an official damnatio memoriae declared by the Senate against Geta's memory. This practice involved great removal defacement and erasure of Geta throughout the entire Roman Empire during the dynasty's forty-two-year rule. The tondo serves as one of the best examples of physical defacement applied to Geta's figure in private settings. Inscriptions untouched total approximately thirty-one percent while the large number of images and inscriptions defaced indicate the Roman army may have been instrumental. Unlike Geta when Caracalla was murdered he was not subjected to an official damnatio memoriae since soldiers well liked him.

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Portraits of ancient Greece and Rome 3rd-century paintings Antikensammlung Berlin Paintings of Roman emperors Roman Empire paintings Septimius Severus

Common questions

What is the Severan Tondo?

The Severan Tondo is a circular wooden panel measuring 35 centimeters in diameter that depicts Roman emperor Septimius Severus and his family. Tempera paint on wood shows Septimius Severus standing on the viewer's right side with wife Julia Domna on the left and sons Caracalla and Geta before them.

Why does one son's face look obliterated on the Severan Tondo?

One son's face has been deliberately obliterated through iconoclasm executed after his murder by Caracalla's Praetorian Guard. The vacant space was smeared with excrement as part of an official damnatio memoriae declared by the Senate against Geta's memory during the dynasty's forty-two-year rule.

When was the Severan Tondo painted according to scholars?

Dating the tondo has caused debate among scholars regarding whether it dates between 199 and 205 AD based on multiple factors. Evidence points to the work being created before 202 while his official portraiture first displayed aging that year and Caracalla born in 188 appears as a youth suggesting creation before 205 when mature portrait styles emerged for him.

Where is the Severan Tondo located today?

The painting remains unknown until the Antikensammlung Berlin acquired it in 1932 from an art dealer in Paris. It now resides in the Altes Museum one of the Berlin State Museums under inventory number 31329.

How does the Severan Tondo relate to Fayum mummy portraits?

The painting on wooden panel with tempera paints aligns consistently with Fayum mummy portraits style from the district of Egypt. Artists used the established Greek four-color palette of white red yellow and black alongside a single light source similar to Fayum works.

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Fayum Artistic Connections

The painting on wooden panel with tempera paints aligns consistently with Fayum mummy portraits style from the district of Egypt. Another stylistic connection includes the addition of jewelry and wreaths which displayed cultural identity and religious practices in Fayum portraiture. Artists used the established Greek four-color palette of white red yellow and black alongside a single light source similar to Fayum works. While many surviving Fayum portraits pertained to burial or remembrance some examples differ such as this Severan Tondo. It could have been painted to celebrate Septimius Severus visit to Egypt in 199 following military victories against the Parthian Empire. The artist who created it may have been primarily employed as a Fayum mummy portrait artist explaining these strong stylistic connections.

Scholarly Dating Debate

Dating the tondo has caused debate among scholars regarding whether it dates between 199 and 205 AD based on multiple factors. Some argue about corkscrew locks on the upper portion of Severus's forehead indicating the piece follows the commencement of Serapis portrait type. Other scholars date the work between 202 and 203 AD because the Serapis style is usually accepted as starting in 204. Evidence points to the tondo being a precursor to the Serapis portrait type since both Geta and Caracalla wear crowns after 198 when Geta became Caesar. Severus lacks signs of age which dates it before 202 while his official portraiture first displayed aging that year. Caracalla born in 188 appears as a youth suggesting creation before 205 when mature portrait styles emerged for him.

Provenance History

The history of the painting remains unknown until the Antikensammlung Berlin acquired it in 1932 from an art dealer in Paris. It now resides in the Altes Museum one of the Berlin State Museums under inventory number 31329. The panel was probably created in square or rectangular shape later cut into a circle to improve saleability on the art market. Loss of original painting is most apparent with missing sceptre parts once adorned with imperial symbols. This wooden specimen survives as the only known example of this type of mass-produced imperial portrait used in Roman legal procedure. Documents had to be signed in front of such images giving them status equal to signing in the emperor's actual presence.