The Ides of March

Photos by New York Scugnizzo

In commemoration of the Ides of March, we are posting a few images of a limestone bust of Julius Caesar. Carved in Apulia in southern Italy around 1225–1250 and later reworked, the bust bears the Latin inscription DIVI IVLI CAE—“Deified Julius Caesar.” Its strong, realistic features recall the portraits of Caesar seen on Roman coinage from about 40 B.C., though the form of the lettering suggests that parts of the inscription were altered during the Italian Renaissance. The sculpture is likely connected to the patronage of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, whose monuments often placed figures high above the viewer. The continuation of the drapery beneath the inscription indicates the bust was intended to be viewed from below. Today it remains in a private collection in the United States.