Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius - Tulln an der Donau, Austria - Exact Replicas on Waymarking.com

The bronze statue of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, on the south bank of Danube river was erected here in 2001 and its author is Mikhail Nogin. It is located near the local Roman Museum and near excavations of the Ancient Roman structures in Tulln. The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius reminds the presence of the Roman cavalry fort Comagena built in the 1st century AD. The statue is actually exact 1:1 copy of the famous equestrain statue of Marcus Aurelius located on the Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio), Rome. Actually, this statue is also the copy of the original statue erected in 176 AD there and currently deposited in Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini. Tulln's statue is located on about 3 meters high granite pedestal.

Info on the original

"The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius is an ancient Roman statue in the Campidoglio, Rome, Italy. It is made of bronze and stands 3.5 m tall. Although the emperor is mounted, it exhibits many similarities to standing statues of Augustus. The original is on display in the Capitoline Museums, with the one now standing in the open air of the Piazza del Campidoglio being a replica made in 1981 when the original was taken down for restoration.

The overall theme is one of power and divine grandeur — the emperor is over life-size and is holding out his hand in a gesture much like that in the Augustus' portraits. In this case the gesture may also signify clemency as some historians assert that a fallen enemy may have been sculpted begging for mercy under the horse's raised hoof (based on accounts from medieval times which suggest that a small figure of a bound barbarian chieftain once crouched underneath the horse's front right leg). Such an image was meant to portray the Emperor as victorious and all-conquering. However, shown without weapons or armor, Marcus Aurelius seems to be a bringer of peace rather than a military hero, for this is how he saw himself and his reign. He is riding without the use of stirrups, which had not yet been introduced to the West.

The statue was erected in 175 CE. Its original location is debated: the Roman Forum and Piazza Colonna (where the Column of Marcus Aurelius stands) have been proposed.

Although there were many equestrian imperial statues, they rarely survived because it was practice to melt down bronze statues for reuse as coin or new sculptures in the late empire. Statues were also destroyed because medieval Christians thought that they were pagan idols. The statue of Marcus Aurelius was not melted down because in the Middle Ages it was incorrectly thought to portray the first Christian Emperor Constantine. Indeed, it is the only fully surviving bronze statue of a pre-Christian Roman emperor.

In the medieval era it was one of the few Roman statues to remain on public view. In the 8th century it stood in the Lateran Palace in Rome, from where it was relocated in 1538 to the Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) during Michelangelo's redesign of the Hill. Though he disagreed with its central positioning, he designed a special pedestal for it. The original is on display in the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini, while a replica has replaced it in the square."

Cited from (visit link)

Where is original located?: Capitoline Museum - Rome, Italy Where is this replica located?: on the south bank of Danube river in Tulln an der DOnau Who created the original?: unknown Internet Link about Original: Capitoline Museum - Rome, Italy Year Original was Created (approx. ok): 175 AD (CE)

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/19/2023 Blogi visited it