Roman Treasures from the Louvre in Oklahoma City
See Classical Antiquities Without Passport or Long Flight to Paris
Jul 26, 2008
Open until October 12, 2008, Roman Art from the Louvre features 184 ancient artifacts of Roman history from the collection of the Musee du Louvre. Works on display range from marble busts and sculptures to mosaics, frescoes, jewelry, and items used in everyday life by citizens of Rome and Pompeii. The museum offers many interpretive activities, starring innovative new media presentations featured on a museum Web site dedicated to the exhibit.
According to Carolyn Hill, president and CEO of Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Roman Art from the Louvre is "an unprecedented exhibition of ancient masterworks, drawn from the Louvre's unparalleled collection. It provides a rare and historic opportunity for Oklahoma audiences to view these magnificent works, most of which have never traveled to the United States."
Visitors will find many famous works, including
- "Portrait of Lucilla," an bust of Marcus Aurelius's second daughter, who was born in 148 A.D. The five-foot-tall work was discovered in 1845 in Carthage, present-day Tunisia. The huge bust may be unfinished, as the rear side is completely flat.
- "Portrait of Augustus Wearing a Toga." Strangely enough, this image of Octavian, first emperor of Rome and grand-nephew of Caeser, was pieced together in the eighteenth century from a separate head and body. Discovered in Italy in 1777, the head was carved circa 10 A.D, while the toga, provenance unknown, dates from circa 120 A.D.
- "Emperor with the Head of Trajan." This is another work compiled from various parts at the end of the eighteenth century or beginning of the nineteenth century.
- "Praetorians Relief," depicting the Praetorian Guard, Caeser's bodyguards. Found in Rome, this well-known work dates from the middle of the first century A.D.
Even art lovers who have visited the Louvre in Paris and carry fond recollections of these classical treasures will find something new here: the works on display have undergone painstaking restoration in preparation for their overseas travel.
Planning Your Trip to Oklahoma City
For more information about the museum and its permanent collections, and about travel to downtown Oklahoma City, visit the museum's main website, where you will find all the information you need to plan your visit: accommodation guides, maps, and links to other OKC attractions and events.
While you're there, either online or in person, don't miss Dale Chihuly: The Exhibition, the world's most comprehensive permanent collection of Chihuly glass.
Sources
Information for this article comes from Oklahoma City Museum of Art press releases, the museum's website, and the museum's brochure "Roman Art from the Louvre Family Gallery Scavenger Hunt." Images of "Portrait of an Unknown Man" and "Portrait of Augustus Wearing a Toga" courtesy of the American Federation of Arts
