Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald
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Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, from Metz, 9th century, bronze. Paris, Louvre
The equestrian statuette was discovered by Alexandre Lenoir, the renowned founder of the Musée des Monuments Français, in the treasury at the cathedral of Metz, in Lorraine, in 1807.
It is a rare surviving example of an Ottonian bronze. It consists of three parts cast in different metal alloys: the horse, the rider’s body and saddle, and the rider’s head. Only a few remnants of the original gilding remain. The horse is believed to be a reused work from Late Antiquity: this is suggested not only by the stylistic features, but also the fact that it was altered to match the rider to it and the harness seems to continue under the saddle.
The sovereign held a sword, now missing, in his right hand and a globe in his left. The crown is set with gems and four palmettes adorn the top. The mantle is pinned on the right shoulder with a brooch.
This assemblage is meant to evoke, in the spirit of the Renovatio imperii, equestrian statues of the Roman Empire, above all that of Marcus Aurelius – which in the Middle Ages was thought to portray Constantine, and stood in the Lateran Palace – and two equestrian statues originating in Ravenna: the Regisole, later moved to Pavia, and a second statue which, according to Agnellus of Ravenna, was carried off to Aachen by Charlemagne.
Today it is debated whether the bronze statuette in the Louvre represents Charlemagne or his grandson Charles the Bald (823-877). The rider’s face is consistent with Einhard’s description of Charlemagne: an imposing man with a drooping moustache, thick hair and a beard. In any event, it was historically considered to be a portrait of the holy emperor: each year, on 28 January, anniversary of the death of the sovereign, who was canonized in 1165, the statuette was shown to worshippers in the Metz cathedral, almost as if it were a relic.
The equestrian statuette was discovered by Alexandre Lenoir, the renowned founder of the Musée des Monuments Français, in the treasury at the cathedral of Metz, in Lorraine, in 1807.
It is a rare surviving example of an Ottonian bronze. It consists of three parts cast in different metal alloys: the horse, the rider’s body and saddle, and the rider’s head. Only a few remnants of the original gilding remain. The horse is believed to be a reused work from Late Antiquity: this is suggested not only by the stylistic features, but also the fact that it was altered to match the rider to it and the harness seems to continue under the saddle.
The sovereign held a sword, now missing, in his right hand and a globe in his left. The crown is set with gems and four palmettes adorn the top. The mantle is pinned on the right shoulder with a brooch.
This assemblage is meant to evoke, in the spirit of the Renovatio imperii, equestrian statues of the Roman Empire, above all that of Marcus Aurelius – which in the Middle Ages was thought to portray Constantine, and stood in the Lateran Palace – and two equestrian statues originating in Ravenna: the Regisole, later moved to Pavia, and a second statue which, according to Agnellus of Ravenna, was carried off to Aachen by Charlemagne.
Today it is debated whether the bronze statuette in the Louvre represents Charlemagne or his grandson Charles the Bald (823-877). The rider’s face is consistent with Einhard’s description of Charlemagne: an imposing man with a drooping moustache, thick hair and a beard. In any event, it was historically considered to be a portrait of the holy emperor: each year, on 28 January, anniversary of the death of the sovereign, who was canonized in 1165, the statuette was shown to worshippers in the Metz cathedral, almost as if it were a relic.
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