Caligula 3-D: Man, Myth, Emperor



Caligula Project rendering of VMFA portrait of Caligula

When Dr. Peter Schertz, VMFA Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art, arrived at the museum in 2006, he recognized the statue of Caligula as one of the highlights of VMFA’s antiquities collection.

Formally known as Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Caligula was born in AD 12 and became emperor of Rome at age 25. History records his four-year reign as that of a madman who alienated the mainstays of the imperial order and was assassinated in AD 41. His reputation has been sealed in modern times by his depiction in the series I Claudius, which aired on public television in the 1970s, as well as in a film from the same period.

While many monuments honoring Caligula were destroyed after he was murdered, a number of portraits survived, though mostly busts. Of the two known full-length statues, the copy in Richmond is by far the best preserved, Schertz says. As Schertz studied this remarkable portrait he began to wonder what it originally looked like as well as how and why it was able to survive. More significantly, Schertz wondered, why don’t more people know about it?

In 2009 Bernard Frishcher, Professor of Art History and Classics at the University of Virginia, contacted Schertz. Frischer is also Codirector of the Digital Sculpture Project and Director of the Virtual World Heritage Laboratory, also at UVA. The laboratory’s mission is to create 3-D digital models of the world’s most significant sculptures and make them available on the Internet. Frischer and Schertz agreed that VMFA’s portrait of Caligula was an ideal subject for this project. Using advanced scanning technologies, a team of scholars have been able to produce highly detailed 3-D digital renderings of the statue and virtually reconstruct its missing parts, examine previous restorations (the head was reattached to the torso around 1970), and hypothesize about the statue’s original polychromy or color.

The culmination of the project is the symposium at VMFA on Sunday, December 4, 10 am–5 pm in the Leslie Cheek Theater. Scholars will review these findings and present other scholarship related to Caligula and portraiture. In addition to Schertz and Frischer, speakers include John Pollini of the University of Southern California, Paolo Liverani of the Univeristy of Florence, David Koller of the University of Virginia, Steven Fine of Yeshiva University, Maria Grazia Picozzi of the University of Rome, and VMFA Conservator Kathy Gillis. Open and free to the public, the discussion promises to be lively and stimulating.

Advance tickets are required. Call 804.340.1405 or reserve online at https://tickets.vmfa.museum/public/loader.asp?target=show_events_list.asp?shcode=936
The Caligula Project is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. 


 - Dr. Peter Schertz

“Greatest Movie Ever Made” to Play at VMFA

H. Hobart Cornell,  photo courtesy Jeffrey Allision

In 1963, a motion picture production ballooned into a behemoth extravaganza the likes of which filmdom had never seen.  The elements were worthy of classic tragedy: overweening hubris, colossal blundering, a strong scent of scandal, an astonishing lack of shame, and somewhere in there was some astounding filmmaking. 

This was the spectacle of Cleopatra made by the venerable 20^th Century Fox Hollywood studio.  The movie itself was a side-show to its stars’ torrid and unabashed infatuation with each other.  Cost overruns soared into the stratosphere forcing accountants and producers to ponder jumping out of their windows.  Luckily, Los Angeles buildings were only 2 stories tall. 

The movie shoot--in Italy, Spain, England, and even Egypt--transformed into a sort of circus bizarro designed by Narcissus featuring egos and libidos nakedly on-view.  It was a planet-wide distraction that knocked cold war tensions out of the headlines and portended the burgeoning sexual revolution and extreme reality shows like Jersey Shore. 

Yet there is some pathos at its core.  The director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, was sure he was achieving a cinematic marvel that would be one of the greatest movies ever made.  Oh, yea, he was not alone.  One of his major stars, Rex Harrison (as Julius Caesar), agreed with the director and nobly offered to forgo his own salary to help out.  Just as nobly, Rex’s offer was declined.

The original Cleopatra --all 4 hours and 8 minutes--will be shown Saturday, December 10, 10:30am to 5pm, with presentations on its art direction and its authenticity issues. 

---Hobart Cornell, Critic-at-large

Dress like an Egyptian - see the exhibition for free!

It’s hard to imagine how we could make our new special exhibition, Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb, more fun, but we have. And you’re an integral part.

On opening day, Saturday, November 19, VMFA will offer free admission to the first 200 nonmembers that arrive at the museum in Egyptian-themed costume. It’s your opportunity to show off your inner Cleopatra, mummy, or King Tut.

Exploring the rituals of death and burial in ancient Egypt, Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb features more than 100 objects from the internationally renowned Egyptian collection of the British Museum. The exhibition also includes a 21-minute, 3D movie narrated by Patrick Stewart, showing the virtual unwrapping of temple priest Nesperennub’s mummy using the most advanced scanning technology currently available.

We hope to see lots of Richmonders in their Egyptian-inspired finest! See you Saturday.

Here’s the “fine print”:

·       Your costume must Egyptian-themed and cover at least half of your body.

·      No props, such as spears, staffs, or chariots, please.

·      A VMFA staff member will greet visitors at the main entrance, examine costumes and award tickets to participants that meet “fine print” guidelines.

·      The exhibition runs on 30-minute time slots. We will distribute 40 tickets per 30-minute time slot (10, 10:30, 11, 11:30, and noon). Once the tickets are gone, they’re gone!

·      Best Café will open at 9 am and will be selling coffee, tea, muffins, and scones. Queuing for first time slot will begin at 9:45 am and museum galleries will open at 10 am. If you arrive early, we’ll be opening our doors (but not the museum) at 9 am. Visitors can wait in Best Café until 10 am.

Promotional tickets are for nonmembers. Admission is always free to members with a reserved ticket.

VMFA and Confederate History

What's going on?

Confederate Memorial Chapel



In recent weeks a group calling itself Virginia Flaggers has undertaken a campaign asking that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts mount Confederate battle flags on the Confederate Memorial Chapel. The endeavor has included demonstrations on site, blog postings, and contact with patrons, legislators, and media. The museum administration has recently met with a representative of this group to hear issues and opinions, to share its ongoing commitment to interpretation and stewardship of the Chapel, and to decline respectfully this request.

Background 

In preparation for the commemoration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the museum undertook extensive research into the history of the grounds. A review of documents and images dating back to the time of the Soldiers’ Home (1885–1941)—and through subsequent decades after the Commonwealth assumed full ownership of the property in 1941—reveals that no flags hung from the Chapel. Battle flags were mounted on the facade when Lee Jackson Camp, No. 1, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), began leasing the chapel in 1993. When renewing that lease in June 2010 and following a unanimous vote of its board of trustees, VMFA asked that the flags be removed—an effort that returned the historic structure to its original appearance. 



Historic Interpretation

The museum takes seriously its responsibility, granted by the Commonwealth, to preserve the chapel and its place in postbellum history and has devoted extensive funding toward its care and maintenance. Moreover, VMFA is not only aware of the history of its grounds and period buildings (which include Robinson House and the former Home for Needy Confederate Women), but actively interprets the compelling story of the Robert E. Lee Camp, No. 1, through public tours, a link on its website, and outdoor signage. 



In addition to the state historical marker and a bronze sign designating the site as the Confederate Memorial Park that VMFA placed on the grounds in the 1950s, three new illustrated signs were recently installed that mention this designation and tell the story of the Soldiers’ Home.  A fourth sign near the Chapel, facing Grove Avenue, interprets the Confederate national flag. Before installation, the text and images for these panels were reviewed by leading Civil War scholars as well as representatives of Lee Jackson Camp, No. 1, SCV.

Confederate history and emblems are currently well represented at the Virginia Historical Society and the United Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters, institutions also situated on the grounds of the former Soldiers’ Home. The Confederate national flag is flown daily at the front of the United Daughters of the Confederacy building, and Confederate battle and national flags are currently displayed within the Chapel, where their historical significance is interpreted by local representatives of Lee Jackson Camp, No. 1. In direct response to requests by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, VMFA also installed a flag pole in front of the Chapel, where the Virginia state flag is flown. As is protocol for State agencies, it flies tandem with the flag of the United States of America.

In summary

As VMFA fulfills its primary mission to serve the Commonwealth as a world-class fine arts museum, it will continue to interpret the history of its grounds respectfully and accurately. With many members, patrons, trustees, and staff who share the heritage of the Old Dominion—including those with ancestors who fought for the Confederacy—we share the same interest in honoring those Virginians who gave their lives during that brutal conflict and will do our best to preserve an important part of Virginia’s history.