Archaeological Collection in Las Dueñas

Collection of Roman pieces: heads, busts and torsos sculpted in marble that are located in the stop of the Las Dueñas Palace. Fauns, ordinary men, Roman emperors such as Drusus; Tiberius, the second emperor of Rome; or Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty; Trajan, born in Italica (Santiponce, Seville), or Emperor Augustus, the first Roman emperor with the longest reign in history. Also present are the Greek gods, such as the god of grape harvest and wine, Dionysius; Priapus, the minor rustic god of fertility; or, Diana the hunter, the Roman goddess of hunting, protector of nature and the Moon.

Although Roman sculpture had an infinite number of representations, supports and functions, there is no doubt that the portrait is the most outstanding.

Precisely, Roman sculpture stood out over Greek sculpture when it came to the creation of the sculpture-portrait. The fact is that Roman portraiture has its roots in Etruscan art, but also in the Greek Hellenistic world and in “mayorum masks”, that is, wax masks that were applied to the faces of the deceased for their memory and subsequent worship.

The materials most used in Roman portraiture were bronze and marble: The statues were apolychrome, they were not colored, except at first when the eyes were colored, a practice that was later abandoned to be carved.

Roman portrait sculpture was born for the emperor and was later adapted to other types of wealthy characters who were able to afford the artists' work.

This adds undeniable interest to the visit to the Las Dueñas Palace, which, in addition to its architectural value and historical interest, also includes an important archaeological collection that makes it one of Seville's great tourist interests.

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