Pat Vespasian?

A correspondent was interested in the Roman emperor Vespasian (ruled 69-79 A.D.), and looked up him at Wikipedia. She writes: “He looks like Patrick Buchanan.”

Comments

JC in Houston writes:

I think he looks more like Lyndon Johnson.

LA replies:

LBV.

Ed H. writes:

I see a resemblance to W.C. Fields. He looks as if he has just been caught cheating at cards and is saying, “Am I to understand, sir, that you are imputing the honesty of a Roman Emperor?”

Bill in Virginia writes:

Ed H. writes:

I see a resemblance to W.C. Fields. He looks as if he has just been caught cheating at cards and is saying, “Am I to understand, sir, that you are imputing the honesty of a Roman Emperor?”

He means “impugning” (Dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of (a statement or motive); challenge; call into question.).

Buchanan, for all his faults, has an infectious sense of humor. Vespasian, to judge by his likeness, hasn’t laughed in a long time.

Malcolm Pollack writes:

I thought at once of Sam Houston.

LA replies:

Is there some link between Texans and ancient Romans?

However, except for the downturned mouth, I don’t see a resemblance between Houston and Vespasian.

James S. writes:

He bears more than a passing resemblance to Gene Hackman as well. (A Vespasian resemblance?)

Jeff W. writes:

I think he looks a lot like Cicero. Maybe it’s because they are both made out of marble.

LA replies:

It’s as if, in the movie Spartacus, when the defeated slave soldiers stand up one by one on the hillside, instead of all saying, “I’m Spartacus,” they said, “I’m Spartacus,” “I’m Cicero,” “I’m Julius Caesar,” “I’m Cato the Younger,” “I’m Lyndon Johnson,” “I’m W.C. Fields.”

Mark Jaws writes:

Pat Buchanan? LBJ? WC Fields? Look closely again. Vespasian is the spitting image of Karl Malden.

December 30

The correspondent whose comment began this thread writes:

Interesting, and it’s funny how many people he seems to resemble in your readers’ eyes. One of the readers said that it looks as if Vespasian hasn’t laughed in a long time. That’s a good observation. One of the things brought out in the “When Rome Ruled” series I saw recently is that the Romans were realistically portrayed in sculpture. Of course we knew that from what we have seen in museums; they look like people we might meet in the street, different from Greek sculpture, and that’s why your readers are seeing resemblances to real life men. But the show also brought out that the emperors wanted to be shown as very serious men, not youthful, but older. The furrowed brow was one of the regular aspects of their busts, the lines in the cheek, the unsmiling mouth, and so forth. They did not want to look as if they were having a fine old orgy-type time, but were serious and could be trusted to rule properly.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 28, 2011 06:11 PM | Send