Marble statue of a togatus (man wearing a toga)

Unknown

1st century CE · Marble · Greek and Roman Art

This man wears a tunic and over it a toga, the most characteristic Roman dress. The toga, a length of woolen cloth with rounded edges, had been the traditional garment of the Romans for centuries, but by the late first century B.C., it was declining in popularity. As part of his effort to revive ancient values and customs, the emperor Augustus made the toga a sort of unofficial state dress that all citizens were required to wear in the forum. A cylindrical leather box for scrolls, represented at the feet of this figure, identify him as a man engaged in public business. A portrait head and arms were carved separately and added.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st century CE

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of John D. Crimmins, 1904