The face of the deceased: portrait busts in Roman tombs. Chapter 6 in Z. Newby & R. Toulson (eds.) (2018) The Materiality of Mourning. Routledge. (original) (raw)

The aim of this paper will be to understand the role of the portrait bust in Roman practices of mourning. The portrait bust held a special status in Roman funerary contexts. Even in funerary contexts where busts were inconvenient or where resources prevented the ‘real’ thing, the form of the bust was utilized, this is reflected in the large corpus of funerary reliefs and sarcophagi, which depict portraits in bust format. Despite the proclivity of portrait busts in funerary contexts an in-depth discussion of the societal function of these portraits and specifically the significance of the bust format, in the funerary context, is lacking. Important work has been done on the use of myth in Roman funerary monuments, and of particular relevance here, the use of portraits within Roman mythological sarcophagi not only to assert social status but to channel, aid and express the grief of the mourning family and kin (Newby 2011 & 2014; Koortbojian 2005; Zanker & Ewald 2004). Portrait busts, from funerary contexts, however, are rarely discussed in these terms. Their societal function is limited to asserting the status of the depicted. As a result the funerary context is overlooked and the function of these portraits as stand-ins for the deceased, the focus of grief and commemoration, requires further exploration (Hope 2011; D’Ambra 1995, 673; Carroll 2006, 30ff.). The intention of this article will be to re-marry the frequently separated themes of commemoration, memory, mourning and status affirmation. To do this I will take a holistic approach considering references in the literary sources and epigraphic evidence, as well as representations on funerary monuments, to mourners interacting with portraits of the deceased. Through this evidence I will explore the agency of portrait busts as loci of grief and commemoration for Roman mourners. For example Livia, who on the loss of her son Drusus, is reported to have surrounded herself with images of him which so embodied his presence that she would speak to them (Senecca, ad Marc. 3.2). More specifically, I will argue that the bust format, through focusing the viewers’ attention on the face of the deceased was uniquely appropriate for fostering the presence of the deceased. Further, in its more portable formulations, the portrait bust could be easily moved between contexts, carried, processed and easily interacted with. This is supported through the depiction of family members interacting with busts on funerary monuments. This is indicative of the role portraits, and specifically portrait busts, could play as mediates between the dead and living. In this way the Roman portrait bust not only immortalized the deceased, but also prolonged their present and even future familial relationships.