Icons of power and beauty in Florence, the face of the Roman Empire

In particular, you will be able to admire medallions and coins (aurei, sesterces, denarii, aces) which conveyed the imperial portrait as a symbol and guarantee of the continuity of power, but also gems, rings and gold necklaces, intended for “private” use, but no less rich in symbolic meaning, and a splendid life-size eagle’s head, symbol of the majesty of Jupiter.

The exhibition is part of the institutional framework of a virtuous collaboration between the Brescia Museums Foundation and the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, under the auspices of the General Directorate of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, with the overall title “Bronze Idols”.

The Florentine event is in line with the one underway until 12 April 2026 inside the Capitolium, at the archaeological park of Roman Brescia, entitled “Victoria Mater. The idol and the icon”, which proposes an unprecedented installation by Francesco Vezzoli, capable of bringing the Winged Victory, one of the most important Roman works in terms of composition, material and conservation, into dialogue with the Idol of Pesaro, a refined example of classical artistic craftsmanship, on loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.

The entire project, promoted by the Brescia Museums Foundation and the Municipality of Brescia, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and the fundamental contribution of Intesa Sanpaolo, was specifically designed to accompany the opening of the celebrations for the Bicentenary of the discovery of the bronze deposit of the Brescia Capitolium, where the Winged Victory was kept.

“The Icons of power and beauty project – comments the general director of the Museums Massimo Osanna – was born from a virtuous collaboration between institutions that recognize themselves in a common vision: to create shared narratives, which combine works from different contexts and, in their encounter, generate new relationships and values. Here in Florence the theme is the fascinating and transversal one of power and its symbols, read through images, signs, objects and biographies. The dialogue between Florence and Brescia, a virtuous example of the connections offered by the Museum System National, thus offers a renewed reading of the ancient world, thanks to a way of understanding the museum as a living place, capable of bringing out the public value of cultural heritage. A place open to knowledge, where the past continues to question us and produce new meanings, for the audiences of today and tomorrow”.

Daniele Federico Maras, director of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, explains: “The alliance between Florence and Brescia which brought the Idolino of Pesaro into comparison with the Victory of Brescia found its natural continuation in the journey of the beautiful gilded bronze heads of the emperors of the 3rd century AD to generate an equally evocative encounter with the ancient Medici collections. The occasion was perfect to organize around the three portraits, attributed to Septimius Severus, Probus and Claudius II the Gothic, and a Medici head of Venus, just restored by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, an exhibition dedicated to the use of the portrait as an aesthetic icon and instrument of communication of power in imperial Rome, associating the bronze sculptures with coins, gems and other precious objects that were used as a vehicle of images of power in the same historical period”.

“The presence in Florence of the virile portraits in gilded bronze from the Santa Giulia museum in Brescia – underlines Francesca Bazoli, president of the Brescia Musei Foundation – represents a moment of great importance for the Brescia Musei Foundation: bringing these masterpieces to an independent museum of the National Museum System means fully valorising their historical significance and reaffirming the role of Brescia in the construction of cultural projects on a national level. We are particularly grateful to Professor Massimo Osanna, member of our Scientific Committee, for the extraordinary collaboration he has given this dialogue between institutions is possible, as well as at the National Archaeological Museum of Florence for the welcome and the work done together. This exhibition is part of a decisive moment for the Brescia Musei Foundation, involved with “Victoria Mater. The idol and the icon. Installation by Francesco Vezzoli” in a path of contemporary reinterpretation of the ancient heritage, which confirms the desire of Brescia Musei to give new vitality to its masterpieces and strengthen cultural connections on a national and international scale”.

The exhibition also offers the opportunity to admire the results of the restoration, carried out by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, of both the bronze portrait of the so-called Probus, on loan from the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia, and the refined bronze head of Venus, belonging to the ancient Medici collections.

The exhibition itinerary examines the period between the end of the 2nd century AD and the 3rd century AD when the crisis of succession and the management of the Empire itself made the need to rethink communication evident. The advent of Septimius Severus seemed to inaugurate a new phase of dynastic stability, guaranteed by a strong hold on power and supported by the political preparation and war skills of the emperor, who was recognized as the new founder of the empire who was about to reform its government structure and military organisation.

The three heads from Brescia help define the aesthetics of power. The image of the emperor, often seen in the guise of a thinker and philosopher, mature but powerful, was able to convey security and stability, thanks also to a hairstyle and beard cut that made him immediately recognizable and differentiated him from all his predecessors

Later, in the mid-3rd century AD, the imperial iconography drew on the symbols that already belonged to Augustus and his successors, to communicate strength and firmness, with the aim of supporting the conservation of authority. The so-called ‘Illyrian emperors’, such as Probus and Claudius the Gothic, for example, demonstrated their confidence by displaying a haughty and detached look, but underlined, with the firmness of their features and expression, their civil commitment, responding to a model of virile beauty devoid of frills, but associated with the rendering of a hairstyle that was both simple and well-groomed.

Women also participated in the construction of the image of the imperial house. This is the case of Iulia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, a leading figure in the management of public affairs, portrayed in some monetary types, with delicate features, embellished with an elaborate hairstyle, which itself became a symbol of authority, profoundly influencing the fashion of the decades to come.

On display you will also find other symbols of the varied nature of power, which accompanies the entire history of the Roman Empire, such as some insignia of religious authority and pietas, of ancestry and divine protection, of military stability, of care for prosperity, as well as of personal charisma and protection of the arts.

The exhibition was set up and designed by the Deferrari+Modesti studio. The visual identity project is by the TassinariVetta studio. Allemandi Editore catalog edited by Daniele F. Maras and Barbara Arbeid, with essays, among others, by Stefano Karadjov, Maria Elisa Micheli, Massimiliano Papini, Javier Deferrari and Lavinia Modesti, and photographs by Alessandra Chemollo.