You can now see a giant statue of Constantine the Great in the Italian capital

Researchers used 3D modelling technology to recreate what the sculpture of the Roman emperor must have looked like

On Tuesday, 6 February, a reconstruction of an ancient statue known as the Colossus of Constantine was unveiled at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The seated figure of a man represents Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), known for being the first to convert to Christianity.

You can find and see the statue of the Roman emperor for free in the garden of Villa Caffarelli, part of the Capitoline Museums. It will stay there until the end of 2025.

What’s interesting about the massive sculpture, which stands 13 metres tall and shows the seated monarch dressed in a tunic, is that it purports to show a true representation of the impressive original.

The fate of the original Colossus was tragic in the sense that it was destroyed by the turbulent times following the fall of the Roman Empire. It was made from marble and gilded bronze elements, so it represented an attractive target for looters.

The remains of the statue were unearthed in the 15^th century with the fragments donated by Pope Sixtus IV to what was the first public museum in the world – the Capitoline Museums.

Reconstruction with technology

Taking measures and studying the fragments helped the researchers visualize what the entire statue must have looked like before it was broken apart and pillaged.

Experts from Fundacion Factum Arte digitally scanned the remaining fragments from the original - including the head, right arm, right hand, right knee, right shin, a calf fragment, the right and left feet, the wrist and a chest fragment - using the high-resolution data to create 3D models of each piece.

The statue was then rebuilt using resin and polyurethane, together with marble powder, gold leaf and plaster.