France (Nîmes, Roman Gaul)

Acanthus Frieze and Entablature at the Maison Carrée in Nîmes

3057

Date Created: c. 2–5 AD, completed and dedicated around 4–7 AD under the patronage of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa's sons, Gaius and Lucius Caesar. Period: The Augustan Age (Early Roman Imperial Period), an epoch defined by the deliberate revival of 5th-century BC classical Greek aesthetic canons, architectural purity, state-sponsored imperial ideology, and refined ornamental stone carving.

Architectural Support and Framing: Functionally, the decorative bands structure the upper entablature, unifying the cella walls and the Corinthian colonnade into a cohesive, perfectly proportioned architectural composition. Imperial Ideology and the Golden Age: Symbolically, inspired by the decoration of the Ara Pacis and the Temple of Mars Ultor in Rome, the frieze expresses the virtues and prosperity of the Golden Age established by Augustus. Pierre Gros considers it "the most accomplished example of symbolic decorations linked directly to the dynastic cult".