Good Ideas Prevail in Time: “Portrait of Bearded Roman”

     I went to the Lowe Art Museum. What captured my total attention was the sculpture of  the “Portrait of a Bearded Roman”. It is believed to be Emperor Antonino Pius, who governed in the mid 2^nd century. He was born in Lanuvium, Italy, in September 86 A.D. Antonino is consider to be one of the five good Roman Emperors. He was acclaimed for his qualities of clemency, intelligent and purity.

     Contemplating the sculpture, I could perceive the sense that he was a good person. Observing his expression, I could imagine an attentive man willing to hear. Thus, he looked like he irradiated a deep calmness. This emperor probably had the greatest patience since he was so accustomed to hearing the problems of his people, in order to find solutions.

This extraordinary emperor was ahead of his time. One of his important acts was centralizing the government. He, working with a battery of experts in the laws, made revisions to roman laws. Including the ruling that a person must be considered innocent until prove guilty. As you can see many rules used nowadays come from centuries back. This man was a seeker of justice and the truth.