Explore Grave Relief of a Silversmith

Read About This Ancient Roman Portrait

The inscription on this Roman funerary relief reads, “Publius Curtilius Agatus, freedman of Publius, and silversmith.” Portraits such as this one were placed in the façade (outside front wall) of family tombs that lined the roads out of Rome. They advertised the social and professional status of the deceased to all who passed by.

The format and style of this portrait are typical of the funerary reliefs commissioned by formerly enslaved people and their families. Beginning in the 100s BCE, enslaved people were brought to Rome in large numbers. Like Publius Curtilius Agatus on this grave relief, many enslaved people were skilled professionals. He appears here as a silversmith, making a small cup in his hands.

Portraits of formerly enslaved people in this period were often depicted with a combination of styles. Here, the face of Publius Curtilius Agatus is shown with hollow cheeks, furrowed brow, and deep folds running from each side of the nose to the corners of the mouth. This depiction is typical of the “warts and all” realistic style of portraits that was favored by nobles in the Roman Republic. The hair, however, is rendered in the Augustan court style of the time, showing devotion to the new emperor who brought peace and stability to Rome. In portraits like this one, formerly enslaved people used an aristocratic but old-fashioned visual style to express their new status as Romans.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Look closely at the portrait. What details do you notice?
• What can you tell about this person based on the details you see?
• Look closely at his hands. Why would family members want him to be portrayed holding something specific in his hands?
• What is he wearing? What can clothing and accessories tell us about someone?
• How does this sculpture compare or contrast with objects you might have seen in today’s cemeteries?
• Based on the information included in the passage, why would this man want to be depicted with an Augustan hairstyle?

Relating to people who are in a high social class, often because of wealth, family background, or titles.

A human being who was taken against their will, treated as property, and forced to work for others without pay.

The face of a building, especially the main part in the front that looks onto a street or open space.

Art used to honor or memorialize a person who died.

A historical, religious, or other kind of record that is cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or other hard surface.

Artworks showing what a specific person looks like. A portrait may look a lot like a person or show idealized characteristics.

A sculpture where figures stick out from a flat background, like a 3D picture on a wall.