Roman statue
- Culture: Roman
- Date: 1-50 (head)
- Object type: statue
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1864,1021.2
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands a striking Roman statue, a lifelike marble figure of a young man atop a rearing horse. The youth is depicted in the traditional Roman style—naked except for a draped military cloak, called a paludamentum. His powerful pose and the elegant drapery draw attention to both his bravery and grace.
The statue's origins are intriguing. While once believed to be Emperor Caligula as a youth, more recent observations suggest the head and body may be from the same block of marble, supporting its link to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The statue's powerful presence and detailed craftsmanship reflect the high artistic standards of Roman sculpture.
Discovered in or near Rome in the 1500s, it was later restored by Giacomo della Porta and displayed at the Palazzo Farnese before coming to the museum in 1864 after being purchased from Ferdinand II, King of Naples and Sicily.
See it in person
Roman statue is on display at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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