TF阅读真题第860篇Roman Portraits

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Roman Portraits

 

 

 

Roman portraits, including statuary and masks, survive in significant numbers only from about the last century of the republican period-that is, from the late second century B.c.E. onward-but they seem to have had a long history before then. Ancient authors help us reconstruct some of that history, but these sources are not necessarily very reliable. Scholars disagree about how much to believe them, and sometimes the scholars risk misreading the ancient authors in their effort to find support for their own theories.

For example, writers such as the first century c.E. Roman officer and encyclopedist Pliny the Elder suggest that statues in honor of important people like the hero Horatius were set up in the city of Rome as early as the sixth century B.c.E. This is not impossible, but nothing quite like this is attested at such an early date in Greece-which served as the model for Roman culture-and Pliny is perhaps deceived because he assumes that statues created much later in time were created during the lifetimes of their subjects. It is certainly likely that later authors are correct when they refer to the frequent use of such monuments in Rome from the fourth century B.c. E. onward, though there is some debate about how closely the erection of portraits in public was derived from or resembled practice in the Greek world, where portrait statuary had become widespread. In Greek cities, these were mainly public honors offered as a reward-and incentive-for good deeds and services by individuals. In republican Rome, they may have been more often set up by ambitious noblemen attempting to promote themselves and their families in public as they jostled for power and status.

At least as early as the second century B.c.E., we have good evidence for the use of portrait images in the homes of these aristocrats. A contemporary writer, a Greek called Polybius (circa 200-118 B.c.E.), who was deported and obliged to live in Rome after Roman military victories in Greece, tells us that noble families kept realistic images of their revered ancestors. Pliny says that they were made of wax and they evidently took the form of masks. Roman nobles displayed these images in their houses and even wore them in funeral processions so that the ancestors could be “revived” as witnesses to the occasion. These wax portrait images seem to have been used by high-ranking families all through Rome’s history.

It is interesting to note Polybius’s emphasis on realism: the effectiveness of these portraits depends on their fidelity. The earliest portraits that survive (and can be fairly confidently dated) consistently attempt to convey individuality through attention to the sitter’s facial features: muscles and bone structure, wrinkles and blemishes. Some of these images employ an ultra-realistic style that is usually called “veristic.” That term is overused and perhaps not very helpful, since there is a tendency to apply it to any realistic- looking Roman portrait, but it more properly describes those portraits that seem to revel in a very subtle and sensitive treatment of their subjects as they actually look, flaws and all. Veristic portraiture is seemingly objective: a maplike rendering of the sitter. A much-illustrated example is the portrait head of an unknown man found at Otricoli, about 35 miles north of Rome. He is no doubt a man of high social status. Although he is an extreme case, he illustrates physical traits such as wrinkles and baldness that such men were not reluctant to display around the first half of the first century B.C.E.

Those attempting to explain the origins of verism have sometimes assumed that the uncompromising portrayal of old age owes something to the ancestor masks described by Polybius and, more specifically, that Polybius’s masks were actually death masks, cast from the face of the deceased. However, the text itself does not support that assumption, nor is there much evidence for the manufacture of death masks even in later periods of Roman history. It is true that a few veristic portraits do resemble the faces of dead bodies in some respects, but the similarity is not consistently obvious. Ultimately, the frequent references to the importance of death masks in discussions of Roman art ought to be treated with great caution. In the absence of secure evidence to establish links between them, it is safer to treat ancestor masks, death masks, and late-republican veristic portraits as separate kinds of objects, not to be confused with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

1

Roman portraits, including statuary and masks, survive in significant numbers only from about the last century of the republican period-that is, from the late second century B.c.E. onward-but they seem to have had a long history before then. Ancient authors help us reconstruct some of that history, but these sources are not necessarily very reliable. Scholars disagree about how much to believe them, and sometimes the scholars risk misreading the ancient authors in their effort to find support for their own theories.

According to paragraph 1, which of the following is a reason why current knowledge about Roman portraits may be inaccurate?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AAncient authors on the subject may not be trustworthy sources of information.

BThere are few surviving portraits made after the late second century B.C.

CBecause of the difficulties in reading certain texts in ancient languages, scholars disagree about what the texts mean.

DMost of the surviving portraits are very different from those described in ancient writings.

 

2

For example, writers such as the first century c.E. Roman officer and encyclopedist Pliny the Elder suggest that statues in honor of important people like the hero Horatius were set up in the city of Rome as early as the sixth century B.c.E. This is not impossible, but nothing quite like this is attested at such an early date in Greece-which served as the model for Roman culture-and Pliny is perhaps deceived because he assumes that statues created much later in time were created during the lifetimes of their subjects. It is certainly likely that later authors are correct when they refer to the frequent use of such monuments in Rome from the fourth century B.c. E. onward, though there is some debate about how closely the erection of portraits in public was derived from or resembled practice in the Greek world, where portrait statuary had become widespread. In Greek cities, these were mainly public honors offered as a reward-and incentive-for good deeds and services by individuals. In republican Rome, they may have been more often set up by ambitious noblemen attempting to promote themselves and their families in public as they jostled for power and status.

The word “ incentive” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Ademand

Breminder

Cencouragement

Dexchange

3

At least as early as the second century B.c.E., we have good evidence for the use of portrait images in the homes of these aristocrats. A contemporary writer, a Greek called Polybius (circa 200-118 B.c.E.), who was deported and obliged to live in Rome after Roman military victories in Greece, tells us that noble families kept realistic images of their revered ancestors. Pliny says that they were made of wax and they evidently took the form of masks. Roman nobles displayed these images in their houses and even wore them in funeral processions so that the ancestors could be “revived” as witnesses to the occasion. These wax portrait images seem to have been used by high-ranking families all through Rome’s history.

In paragraph 3, why does the author discuss Polybius’s observations about Roman families?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

ATo provide an example of a writer who was honored by a portrait image in Rome in the second century B.C.

BTo provide reliable testimony that portrait images were used in the homes of Roman nobles in the second century B.C.

CTo provide an example of an aristocrat who displayed portrait images in his home in the second century B.C.

DTo present evidence that the portrait images used in the homes of Roman nobles in the second century B.C. were masks made of wax

 

4

At least as early as the second century B.c.E., we have good evidence for the use of portrait images in the homes of these aristocrats. A contemporary writer, a Greek called Polybius (circa 200-118 B.c.E.), who was deported and obliged to live in Rome after Roman military victories in Greece, tells us that noble families kept realistic images of their revered ancestors. Pliny says that they were made of wax and they evidently took the form of masks. Roman nobles displayed these images in their houses and even wore them in funeral processions so that the ancestors could be “revived” as witnesses to the occasion. These wax portrait images seem to have been used by high-ranking families all through Rome’s history.

According to paragraph 3, all of the following statements about the wax masks used by Romans are true EXCEPT:

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

AThe masks portrayed respected family ancestors.

BThe masks covered the faces of family members during funeral processions.

CThe masks were used by families from all classes of society.

DThe masks were exhibited in the homes of aristocratic families.

 

5

Paragraph 4 supports which of the following statements about the author’s view of the term “ veristic” as applied to Roman portraits?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AIt should never be used to describe realistic portraits that convey individuality.

BIt should be replaced completely by the term “ realistic.”

CIt should be applied only to the portraits described by Polybius.

DIt should be applied only to some types of realistic Roman portraits.

 

6

It is interesting to note Polybius’s emphasis on realism: the effectiveness of these portraits depends on their fidelity. The earliest portraits that survive (and can be fairly confidently dated) consistently attempt to convey individuality through attention to the sitter’s facial features: muscles and bone structure, wrinkles and blemishes. Some of these images employ an ultra-realistic style that is usually called “veristic.” That term is overused and perhaps not very helpful, since there is a tendency to apply it to any realistic- looking Roman portrait, but it more properly describes those portraits that seem to revel in a very subtle and sensitive treatment of their subjects as they actually look, flaws and all. Veristic portraiture is seemingly objective: a maplike rendering of the sitter. A much-illustrated example is the portrait head of an unknown man found at Otricoli, about 35 miles north of Rome. He is no doubt a man of high social status. Although he is an extreme case, he illustrates physical traits such as wrinkles and baldness that such men were not reluctant to display around the first half of the first century B.C.E.

According to paragraph 4, the male portrait head from Otricoli is a strong example of a portrait that

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

Apresents its subject as a model of Roman age and wisdom.

Bincludes the physical imperfections of its subject.

Cportrays a Roman nobleman who was famous during the life of Polybius.

Dwas displayed publicly during the first half of the first century B.C.

 

7

Those attempting to explain the origins of verism have sometimes assumed that the uncompromising portrayal of old age owes something to the ancestor masks described by Polybius and, more specifically, that Polybius’s masks were actually death masks, cast from the face of the deceased. However, the text itself does not support that assumption, nor is there much evidence for the manufacture of death masks even in later periods of Roman history. It is true that a few veristic portraits do resemble the faces of dead bodies in some respects, but the similarity is not consistently obvious. Ultimately, the frequent references to the importance of death masks in discussions of Roman art ought to be treated with great caution. In the absence of secure evidence to establish links between them, it is safer to treat ancestor masks, death masks, and late-republican veristic portraits as separate kinds of objects, not to be confused with each other.

The word “ assumption” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Adescription

Bbelief

Canalysis

Dreport

 

8

Those attempting to explain the origins of verism have sometimes assumed that the uncompromising portrayal of old age owes something to the ancestor masks described by Polybius and, more specifically, that Polybius’s masks were actually death masks, cast from the face of the deceased. However, the text itself does not support that assumption, nor is there much evidence for the manufacture of death masks even in later periods of Roman history. It is true that a few veristic portraits do resemble the faces of dead bodies in some respects, but the similarity is not consistently obvious. Ultimately, the frequent references to the importance of death masks in discussions of Roman art ought to be treated with great caution. In the absence of secure evidence to establish links between them, it is safer to treat ancestor masks, death masks, and late-republican veristic portraits as separate kinds of objects, not to be confused with each other.

According to paragraph 5, why have some authors assumed that the ancestor masks described by Polybius might have actually been death masks?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

ADeath masks provided support for their ideas about the origins of verism.

BThe text of Polybius’s writings suggests that the ancestor masks were actually death masks.

CDeath masks were a known feature in later periods of Roman history.

DThe portrayal of living people was uncommon in Roman times.

9

For example, writers such as the first century c.E. Roman officer and encyclopedist Pliny the Elder suggest that statues in honor of important people like the hero Horatius were set up in the city of Rome as early as the sixth century B.c.E. ▉This is not impossible, but nothing quite like this is attested at such an early date in Greece-which served as the model for Roman culture-and Pliny is perhaps deceived because he assumes that statues created much later in time were created during the lifetimes of their subjects. ▉It is certainly likely that later authors are correct when they refer to the frequent use of such monuments in Rome from the fourth century B.c. E. onward, though there is some debate about how closely the erection of portraits in public was derived from or resembled practice in the Greek world, where portrait statuary had become widespread. ▉In Greek cities, these were mainly public honors offered as a reward-and incentive-for good deeds and services by individuals. ▉In republican Rome, they may have been more often set up by ambitious noblemen attempting to promote themselves and their families in public as they jostled for power and status.

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

 

Indeed, the statues seem to have served different purposes in each culture.

Insert Text Questions句子插入题

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

 

10

Early Roman portraits included statues and masks.

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

Select 3 answers

AThere is convincing evidence for the use of ancestor masks in Rome by the second century B.C., but it is likely that the use of portrait statues had begun much earlier.

BBoth Greek and Roman portrait statues were erected to honor individual citizens for their service to the community.

CVeristic portraits probably should be classified as a separate category of art, not one that was derived from death masks.

DVeristic Roman portraits conveyed individuality by objectively representing all features of their subjects, including imperfections.

EThe works of most ancient writers and encyclopedists are considered the most reliable sources for the study of Roman portraits.

FThe wax masks used in aristocratic Roman homes from the second century B.C. on were most probably death masks cast from the faces of deceased relatives.