Augustus Prima Porta depicts the famous first emperor of Rome Augustus Caesar. Unlike Greek sculpture, the entire marble figure is detached from the original block of stone from which it came. There is free space between his limbs and clothing. At his right calf rests a cherub. His other leg is slightly bent as if he is walking forward in the direction he points. His right hip is also slightly more forward than the other. The cherub is reaching up towards Caesar with his left arm and his gaze is also pointed upwards. Interestingly Augustus Caesar has no shoes on. The scale of the statue at 6ft 8in is a plausible but unlikely real life height for the great Emperor. He appears to be wearing some sort of breast plate. The breast plate itself features all sorts of detailed carvings. The gathered cloth in his arms are very realistic and feature folds and wrinkles. At the bottom of his garment even tassels are visible. The statue appears to be in plain marble now, but at its creation the sculpture would have been painted with all sorts of colors to make appear more life like. Augustus’s body is positioned at an angle and this diagonal plane is emphasized by his arm and hand pointing off into the distance. There is less tension in his other hand that holds the garment. It is relaxed, not gripping anything. The statue is a more naturalist perspective than was seen in sculpture and art previously. His hair is even depicted in detail. Caesar is well proportioned and his features are defined but not overly angular. There is attention to displaying accurate human proportions in this sculpture. Augustus Caesar’s knees and calves are sculpted and his arms feature the musculature of biceps. The face of Augustus Caesar is quite stoic.
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