New Studies on the Portrait of Caligula in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Book excerpt: The essays in New Studies on the Portrait of Caligula in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts address art historical, historical, cultural and museological issues raised by one of two surviving intact statues of the Roman emperor Caligula (r. 37-41 C.E.). Contributions focus on the creation of a 3D-digital model of the statue and the search for traces of its original polychromy; the history of the statue from its creation to the present, including its rediscovery at a Julio-Claudian sanctuary at Bovillae; aspects of Caligula’s literary and visual portrayal in antiquity and modern historiography (including questions concerning the destruction of his portraits and the implications of Jewish sources for the study of Caligula); and the emperor’s image in popular culture.