The Frieze
Frieze on the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, 141 A.D.
The frieze that runs along the top of the temple’s wall is still well preserved today, despite the fact that the monument’s original roof is gone, as well as its upper cornice and rear portion of the cella. [1] The frieze is made up of a single scene that repeats numerous times around the sides. Each scene commences with a candelabrum that rises from acanthus scrolls. These objects border two gryphons that oppose each other, and rest their outer paws on an acanthus leaf that covers the ground. [2] Originally, the dedicatory inscription to Faustina would have been framed on either side by two candelabra and acanthus scrolls, and two opposing gryphons. At the corners of the temple, the pattern repeated throughout the frieze is cut in half.
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1. Amanda Claridge, Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998): 112.
2. Gilbert J. Gorski and James E. Packer, The Roman Forum: A Reconstruction and Architectural Guide (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015): 74.