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The Antonine Dynasty (138–193)

• 

  Support for an oblong water basin, 2nd century A.D.
  Roman
  Porphyry; L. 58 1/2 in. (148.6 cm)
  Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1992 (1992.11.70)

• 
  Portrait of Emperor Antoninus Pius, 138–161; Antonine
  Roman
  Marble; H. 15 7/8 in. (40.4 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1933 (33.11.3)
  
• 
  Relief portrait of the emperor Lucius Verus, ca. 166–170; Antonine
  Roman
  Marble; H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1913 (13.227.1)
  
• 
  Strigilated vase with snake handles and lid, second half of 2nd century A.D.; Antonine
  Roman
  Marble; H. 17 3/8 in. (44 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 2007 (2007.31a,b)
  
• 
  Portrait bust of a bearded man, ca. 150–75 A.D.; Antonine
  Roman
  Marble; H. 22 in. (55.9 cm.)
  Rogers Fund, 1998 (1998.209)
  
• 
  So-called Antioch Mosaic, second half of 2nd century; Late Antonine
  Roman
  Mosaic; H. 7 ft. 5 in. (2.26 m)
  Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1938 (38.11.12)
  

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Antonine rule commenced with the reign of Antoninus Pius (r. 138–61 A.D.) and included those of Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–80 A.D.), Lucius Verus (r. 161–69 A.D.), and Commodus (r. 177–92 A.D.). Their dynasty reflects the connections between wealthy provincial and Italian families. They were successors of Trajan (r. 98–117 A.D.) and Hadrian (r. 117–38 A.D.), both from respectable provincial families in Spain; Hadrian had secured the line with the adoption of Antoninus Pius, who in turn adopted Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.



The theme of victory became dominant in official art, as conquests were commemorated by triumphal arches and monumental columns erected in Rome to celebrate the military achievements of the dynasty.

Related

Cited Works of Art or Images (1)

• 

Timelines (2)

• Italian Peninsula, 1–500 a.d.
• Western and Central Europe, 1–500 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• Barbarians and Romans
• List of Rulers of the Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire (27 B.C.–393 A.D.)

Other Thematic Essays (15)

• Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
• Art of the Roman Provinces, 1
• Augustan Rule (27 B.C.–14 A.D.)
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)
• Hellenistic and Roman Cyprus
• Roman Copies of Greek Statues
• Roman Egypt
• Roman Portrait Sculpture: Republican through Constantinian
• Roman Portrait Sculpture: The Stylistic Cycle
• The Flavian Dynasty (69–96)
• The Idea and Invention of the Villa
• The Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 B.C.–68 A.D.)
• The Rediscovery of Assyria
• The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity

Maps (2)

• Europe, 1-500 A.D.
• World, 1-500 A.D.

Index Terms (21)

Art Movement/Style

• Early Imperial Art in Ancient Rome
• Antonine Art in Ancient Rome

Geography/Place

• Rome (Ancient)

Material and Technique

• Mosaic
• Sculpture in the Round from the Balkan Peninsula
• Relief Sculpture from Europe
• Marble Sculptural Relief
• Rock Crystal

Object

• Vessel from the Italian Peninsula
• Tall Vessel (Vase, Pitcher, or Bottle)
• Tall Vessel from Europe

Subject Matter/Theme

• Feline
• Serpent
• Archaeology from Europe
• Allegorical Figure
• Ruler from Europe
• Ruler from Ancient Rome
• Stone with Floral Motif
• Portrait Sculpture from the Italian Peninsula
• Lists of Rulers
• Trade (1–500 a.d.)

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Antoninus Pius, who was from southern Gaul, restored the status of the Senate without compromising his imperial power. With succession assured, he quietly furthered the centralization of government. In addition to his own knowledge of law, he surrounded himself with a coterie of legal experts. One result of their revision of Roman law was the ruling that a man must be considered innocent until proven guilty. Antoninus Pius was the last emperor to reside permanently in Rome; his reign was relatively peaceful and benevolent. Military campaigns, such as the one that led to the construction of the Antonine wall in Scotland in the 140s A.D., were conducted by imperial legates, not by the emperor in person. Temples were erected in honor of Antoninus and his wife Faustina, in Rome and throughout the provinces, and many statues and portraits of the imperial couple were produced.




After Antoninus' death, imperial power was for the first time shared between two co-emperors, his adoptive sons Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Verus waged a successful war against Parthia and captured Ctesiphon, but died early in 169 A.D. The continuing reign of Marcus Aurelius, however, was marked by incessant warfare with the Germanic tribes along the Upper Danube frontier, later known as the Marcomannic Wars (167–75 A.D.). The theme of victory became dominant in official art, as conquests were commemorated by triumphal arches and monumental columns erected in Rome to celebrate the military achievements of the dynasty. The constant campaigns, however, eventually drained imperial revenues.




Marcus Aurelius' devotion to duty, protecting the frontiers of the empire, was in marked contrast to the behavior of his son, Commodus. In 180 A.D., Commodus abruptly abandoned the campaigns on the German frontier and returned to Rome. There, however, he alienated the Senate by resorting to government by means of favorites and identifying himself with the semidivine hero Hercules. By the time of his assassination in 192 A.D., Rome was in a chaotic state of affairs.

Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Greek and Roman Art. "The Antonine Dynasty (138–193)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/anto/hd_anto.htm (October 2000) Further Reading Grant, Michael The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition. New York: Routledge, 1994. Marcus Aurelius Meditations. Translated by Gregory Hays.. New York: Modern Library, 2002. Robertson, Anne S. The Antonine Wall: A Handbook to the Surviving Remains. 4th ed.. Glasgow: Glasgow Archaeological Society, 1990. Rutherford, Ian Canons of Style in the Antonine Age: Idea-Theory in Its Literary Context. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)