Sculpture of a Roman Soldier, the so-called Tivoli General

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A masterpiece of honorary sculpture from the Late Republican period, this statue depicts an elderly person with a robust young body. The cape (paludamentum) covering part of the stomach and legs, along with the cuirass embossed with Medusa's head (lorica), indicates that it is a high-ranking soldier. It can be assumed that the right arm was raised, as suggested by the chest muscles holding the shoulder, and that the figure leaned on a lance. This style originates from Hellenistic design of heroic nudity (effigies achillae) used starting in the II century BC by members of the Roman ruling class who had strong political needs for self-representation. The authoritative, imposing stance combined with the marked realism of the facial features is one of the best examples of Hellenistic bravura merged with realistic Italic tradition. Stylistic considerations and the fact that the statue was found in the substructions of the Temple of Hercules, built during L. Cornelius Sulla's dictatorship, date the statue to between 90 and 70 BC. Its commemoration in Tivoli suggests it may have been someone from the area, probably a lieutenant of Sulla who paid for his portrayal himself, or that it was a public honor in the city's most important shrine, dedicated to the god-hero called Victor, i.e., the protector of military expeditions.