Colossal statue of Constantine: right hand
The index finger raised to the sky, which has made this work iconic over the centuries, is a modern integration of an ancient fragment. The hand in its original formulation probably held the shaft of a sceptre and, despite its considerable weight, rose about 10 m above the ground. Of the right arm, the central portion with the biceps in tension and the protruding veins is also preserved.
The fragments belonged to the Colossus of Constantine, a seated statue of the emperor executed in the acrolithic technique, i.e. with the head and the naked parts of the body made of Parian marble and the cloak, which enveloped part of the torso and legs, made of gilded bronze foil. The emperor, solemnly seated on a throne, resembled a god on earth. In particular, the assimilation to Jupiter, the father of the gods, depicted in a similar pattern in the statue in the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter, was evident.
Masterpieces of the hall
The hall
The two porticoes on opposite sides and the large open-air space contain important examples of Roman sculpture.
On the left we can see remains of the cell decoration from the Temple of the God Hadrian, with reliefs portraying the Provinces of the Roman empire and military trophies.
Along the righthand wall of the courtyard, containing the embedded remains of three archways belonging to the palazzo's original XV century structure, is a row of fragments from a colossal statue of Constantine from the Basilica of Maxentium.
