Julius Caesar
c. 1455–60
Medium
marble with traces of bole (red clay) and limestone with traces of paint
Dimensions
83 × 84 × 25 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
2009.271
Tags
About this artwork
Renowned Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) appears here as a political rather than military leader, worn by the burdens of office, with carefully described signs of aging. Mino probably used ancient coins from the collection of the Medici, Florence's ruling family, as his starting point for this sculpture. However, the complex carving, the clinging drapery, and the psychological intensity all characterize the inventiveness Renaissance artists brought to classical subject mat...