Plate 11: Titus Vespasian looking to the right, from "The Twelve Caesars" 1610 - 1640

Here is an engraving from the series "The Twelve Caesars", portraying Titus Vespasian in profile. The most striking feature is his elaborate helmet, adorned with symbols of power and divinity. The lion's head atop the helmet signifies courage and strength. This motif echoes across centuries, from the Nemean lion wrestled by Hercules to the medieval heraldic emblems of royalty. Note the figures around the helmet, a procession frozen in stone, reminiscent of ancient triumphal arches celebrating military victories. This harks back to an impulse present since the ancient Mesopotamians, where the leader is a god-like figure. The gaze, directed purposefully to the right, is a gesture of command, a convention employed throughout portraiture to convey authority. Such imagery taps into our collective memory, stirring subconscious associations of leadership, power, and the cyclical rise and fall of empires. The symbols in Titus' helmet, potent in their time, continue to resonate, echoing through the ages.