From the beloved author of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, the captivating story of how the images of Roman emperors have influenced art, culture, and the representation of power for more than 2,000 years. What does the face of power show? Who is honored in art and why? And how do we react to sculptures of politicians we despise? In this book—against the backdrop of today's "wars of statues"—Mary Beard tells the story of how for over two millennia, the portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the Western world have been shaped by the image of the Roman emperors, particularly the "Twelve Caesars," from the ruthless Julius Caesar to Domitian. Twelve Caesars examines why these murderous autocratic leaders have so strongly imposed themselves on art from antiquity and the Renaissance to today, when unfortunate leaders continue to be depicted as Neros playing while Rome burns.

Beginning with the significance of imperial portraits in the politics of Rome, this richly illustrated book offers a tour through 2,000 years of art and cultural history, presenting a new look at works by artists from Memling and Mantegna to the 19th-century American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, as well as by generations of weavers, cabinet makers, goldsmiths, publishers, and potters. Instead of a history of simply repeating fixed, boring images of imperial men and women, the Twelve Caesars presents an unexpected narrative of identity changes, unreflective or deliberate misidentifications, false and often dubious representations of power. From the reconstruction of Titian’s extraordinary lost Room of the Emperors to the revolutionary interpretation of Henry VIII’s famous Caesar tapestries, the Twelve Caesars includes fascinating investigative work and offers an immersive history of some of the most compelling and unsettling portraits of power ever created.