Antonine Woman as Venus
Ca. A.D. 150-160
H. 43.8 (17 1/4)
Hannah Chesmore
Andrea Hewick
Meredith Millis
It is determined the Antonine Woman as Venus is a woman of aristocratic status. The portrait is made of fine-grain marble, a medium only upper-class persons could afford. Also, only persons of wealth could afford to have such a protrait made. The woman is portrayed as Venus, a goddess who is connected to the imperial family, and members of a royal family would often have themselves depicted as a deity. (De Puma 26) We know she is being portrayed as Venus because of her bare breast and the upper-arm ring. The bare breast is a key to Venus because she is the goddess of sexuality and desirability. The upper arm ring can be an attribute of Venus as the Statue of Aphrodite (Venus) by Praxiletels displays the same jewelry on a nude body. (Fantham 175)
The back of the portrait is slightly slanted, allowing us to imagine the angle at which the portrait was positioned on its support. The portrait is the complete bust of Antonine Woman as Venus, minus the background medallion, which would have created a complete circle above her head. Imagining the medallion was still there, we envision the bust as being placed on a wall. This postition would cause the portrait to angle towards the on-looker and we assume she was placed at eye-level or slightly higher.
Antonine Woman as Venus is obviously a freeborn woman. She comes from or was married into an aristocratic family, which would not be possible for a slave or a freedwoman. She is a young matron of approximately 20 years of age. We can determine she is young and a matron because her pose is not as modest as an unwed adolescent's pose may be or as modest as an elder woman's pose may be. (Shelton 292)
Her age is also determined by her sexually confident pose, her locks draping her neck, and her smooth, unaged facial features. These attributes are not a likeness to an adolescent girl or a woman of age. By the woman's young and healthy appearance, we may assume she was able to receive the best medical treatment because she was a wealthy woman of aristocratic status.
She was most likely, being a person of upper-class, educated at the appropriate age by private tutors, usually before the age of twelve. Like all Roman women, however, she must conceal her intellect in the company of men, especially if the situation is concerning her husband. (Shelton 298) Her marriage was most likely arranged, as most women were not given the choice of whom to marry. She entered marriageable years after the age of twelve, when she began learning how to manage a household from her mother and a slave well-trained at the loom and hearth. Her father would have chosen a husband for her, the son of a merchant, military-man, or a man with strong political ties. Being a woman of upper-class, however, takes away the burden of finding an appropriate husband.
We are assuming she gave birth to a child or children. She is well into the age of child-bearing and as a matron it is her duty to reproduce healthy children with and for her spouse. With the lifestyle Antonine Woman as Venus has, it is likely the care for her children was not her primary concern. Slaves and other women of the house probably concerned themselves with the child care.
Antonine Woman as Venus may have spent much of her time in liesure. Attending or planning dinner parties or vacationing to a country villa. The dinner guests would have dined on large couches or, if weather permitted, in the gardens of the estate. Possible dinner dishes for a family of such status may include Numidian Chicken, Rabbit with Fruit Sauce, and Sweet and Sour Pork. (Shelton 81) The country villa was a place wealthy families would escape for relaxation. People would enjoy baths, libraries, exercise areas, and beautiful gardens during their getaways. (Shelton 76) A possible location for Antonine Woman as Venus' country villa could be in Ostia, a town 17 miles from Rome. Attending a villa at this location would allow the family to remain close to the city life.
She probably was a member of a special religious group or women's cult. If her husband possessed the dowry, then she would have been considered a member of his family and given the privilege to attend religious festivities with him. However, we are guessing that the father of Antonine Woman as Venus still had control of the dowry, which gave leverage to her in the marriage. She would have only been able to attend religious ceremonies with her natal family or was a member of a women's cult.
Faustina Minor:
First Person Narrative of Antonine Woman as Venus
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