'Tiberius: Portrait of an Emperor' at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa

Buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, an over-life-size bronze portrait of Tiberius (ruled A.D. 14–37) was discovered in 1741, during the first years of excavation at Herculaneum. On loan from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, this statue is the subject of the exhibition Tiberius: Portrait of an Emperor, on view at the Getty Villa October 16, 2013 through March 3, 2014. Brought to the Getty Villa for conservation and analysis last October, the sculpture provides an opportunity to re-examine the career and character of Rome’s second emperor. The exhibition has been co-organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples.

“Following the study and conservation project of the Apollo Saettante two years ago, we are delighted to once again be collaborating with our colleagues in Naples,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “This year-long conservation project of the bronze sculpture of Tiberius has brought to light the processes by which over-life-sized statues, like this one, were produced. This research is pertinent to the study of all ancient bronzes, as is the study of the methods and materials of the sculpture’s eighteenth-century restoration.”

Conservation of the Statue

Standing over eight feet tall, the statue had been off view for decades on account of structural weaknesses in its lower sections and base. Putting this grand imperial portrait back in the public eye was, therefore, the primary goal of the collaboration. In order to do so, Getty conservators developed a new internal support that evenly distributes the substantial weight of the figure—some 1,050 pounds of bronze—and ensures its secure and safe display. The statue has also now been fully cleaned, revealing the lustrous dark patina it would have had when first showcased in the Royal Museum at Portici.

'Tiberius: Portrait of an Emperor' at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa — Statue of Tiberius, Roman, AD 37, bronze, 96 7/8 in. high. Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Laboratorio di Conservazione e Restauro

This portrait and other works of art were heavily damaged by volcanic debris that inundated Herculaneum. Because it was standard practice in the eighteenth-century to restore sculptures to appear complete and virtually unblemished, the Getty’s investigation of the figure revealed much about the techniques used in these early restorations, such as the pouring of molten bronze to fill missing areas, a series of bolts to secure the additions in place, and the applied patina, which would have hidden any trace of the restorers’ masterful intervention.

The opportunity to study the portrait in detail has also shed light on how it was manufactured in antiquity. As was typical for large-scale bronze statuary, the Tiberius was fashioned using the lost-wax casting technique. Casting and assembly, however, were unusually complex, involving some sixty individual pieces to create the numerous folds of the emperor’s toga and tunic.

The Life and Legacy of Tiberius

Next year marks the two thousandth anniversary of Tiberius’s accession as Emperor and a timely opportunity to display the newly conserved portrait and re-examine his career and character. Overshadowed by his predecessor, Augustus, Tiberius has long been thought of as an isolated and rather unpleasant character.