The Colossus of Constantine

The Colossus of Constantine was a massive sculptured statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (280–337) that once stood near the Forum Romanum in Rome.

Large broken portions of the Colossus are now on display at the Capitoline Museums.

Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome, and he had a profound effect on the development of the Roman and Byzantine worlds.

After reunifying the Empire, he established a new dynasty and founded a new capital, named Constantinople after himself.

Christianity played an essential role in Constantine’s rule and his initiatives for reform and renewal in the Roman Empire.

Large Fragments from The Colossus of Constantine statue

The Colossus was dismantled and pillaged sometime in late Antiquity. The more significant marble portions of the figure were rediscovered in 1486.

The large head was carved in a typical Constantinian style of late Roman portrait statues, whereas the other body parts are more naturalistic.

The fragments on display include the right arm with an elbow, the head, the right kneecap, a right hand, the left shin, the right foot, the left kneecap, and the left foot.

The statute appears to have been re-worked in the later part of Constantine’s reign. A hand holding a Christian symbol replaced the hand containing an imperial scepter.

Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to adopt Christianity as the Empire’s official religion.

These fragments were removed from the Basilica at the Roman Forum and placed in the nearby Palazzo by Michelangelo.

Michelangelo was working actively for the Pope in the vicinity. As with the Laocoön statue, these fragments fed Michelangelo’s imagination and his work.

The Pointing Finger from The Colossus of Constantine was examined in detail by Michelangelo

Did the massive finger from the “Colossus of Constantine” play an inspirational role in the painting of God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling at the Vatican?

“Creation of Adam” fresco painted by Michelangelo