A copy of a Antonio Conova bust
My wife and I were in Restoration Hardwire. Everything was half off because this particular store was clearing out its inventory and was moving to a ‘better’ location. This did not mean much for half off at Restoration Hardwire means a $2000 item is now a $1000 item…whoopie [sarcasm]! Anyway most of the stuff already had a SOLD sign on it. I happened to notice that on top of this large piece of furniture was a bust of a man wearing a laurel and the shoulder straps of a lorica segmentata. Nancy saw where I was staring and said, “I bet you can tell me who that is.”
OK, a challenge. Before we left the store I was going to figure it out. It was NOT Caesar. I would know that face anywhere. It was NOT Pompey. Pompey’s bust usually has the feel of looking at a photo of good old Uncle Fred. It was not the youthful visage of Augustus. To my understanding Augustus was depicted as youthful even into old age. For some reason I stopped concentrating on the face. The Laurel around his head seemed slightly stylized, and the straps on his shoulders seemed more ‘cloth-like’ than made from metal. I went back to the face and imagined it with black hair.
“Nancy,” I called out.
“Yes?”
“It’s Napoleon.”
After all, the guy wanted to rule the world didn’t he? Why wouldn’t he be depicted as a Caesar?
Rob Cain has traveled extensively through Europe, Italy, and Egypt. He was formerly on active duty with the United States Army. He is a fan of history, and enjoys reading books on the history of Rome. He currently has a podcast presentation on itunes and hipcast. The blog is for the free and open discussion of Ancient Rome based on Mr. Cain's observations noted in his podcast. Most episodes start out with an original dramatic narration written by Mr. Cain. In the podcasts he will include his own unique commentary, and interviews with subject matter experts. Comments are welcome and will be highlighted on the show. 
