IDC ROME: Roman Sculpture

WHAT ARE THEY WEARING?

What clothing does the figure wear? Not all draped men wear a toga. A Roman toga was a distinctive garment, uncomfortable to wear but a clear marker of Roman citizenship. In reality few wished to wear it. Rome's first emperor, Augustus, had to stipulate that senators appear in the forum dressed in the toga. In statuary, the toga features a strap-like area of drapery that runs from the right hip to the left shoulder (called the balteus), a tuck pulled out of this strap near the right hip (the umbo), a curving edge between the right knee and foot (the sinus), and a vertical end hanging between the legs (lacinia). Under this a Roman man wore a short-sleeved tunic. Gods are not citizens - their rank is much higher - so they never wear a Roman toga.


			WHAT ARE THEY WEARING? What clothing does the figure wear? Not all draped men wear a toga. A Roman toga was a distinctive garment, uncomfortable to wear but a clear marker of Roman citizenship. In reality few wished to wear it. Rome's first emperor, Augustus, had to stipulate that senators appear in the forum dressed in the toga. In statuary, the toga features a strap-like area of drapery that runs from the right hip to the left shoulder (called the balteus), a tuck pulled out of this strap near the right hip (the umbo), a curving edge between the right knee and foot (the sinus), and a vertical end hanging between the legs (lacinia). Under this a Roman man wore a short-sleeved tunic. Gods are not citizens - their rank is much higher - so they never wear a Roman toga.