fire-gilded bronze / marble bases early-mid 19th century, italian 35″ (Antonine) and 32″ (Trajan’s) high
Above: The elegant and highly detailed gilded columns are mounted on dark marble bases, with the Antonine Column (left) atop a verde antico marble, and the Trajan’s Column (right) on a black marble base.
Top left: Though they make an elegant pair, Trajan’s Column (right) was the earlier (AD 113), providing inspiration for the larger Antonine Column honoring Marcus Aurelius (AD 193).
Lower left: The inspiration for the spiraling battle scenes forming the columns’ shafts may have been scrolls, which were the format for books during the period of the Roman Empire. The columns were each the center of a compound which included libraries in both Greek and Latin. PIctured here is a section of the Antonine Column.
