After the Antique: Trajan's Victorious Combat against the Dacians n.d.

"After the Antique: Trajan's Victorious Combat against the Dacians," is a drawing, whose maker is now unknown, which takes as its subject matter a very specific moment of ancient Roman history. The drawing is a copy after a frieze depicting a battle during Emperor Trajan's military campaigns in Dacia, now modern Romania. In ancient Rome, Trajan's reign was glorified through monuments and artworks which served as propaganda, reinforcing Roman power. This drawing captures the violence of imperial conquest, where the subjugation of the Dacians is presented as a heroic victory for the Romans. By focusing on martial domination, the work promotes the idea of Roman cultural and racial superiority. The drawing, therefore, operates within a visual language of power, its emotional impact lies in its stark portrayal of conquest and domination. In this anonymous restaging, we are asked to reflect on the legacies and afterlives of such representations.