COPENHAGEN.- On 1 October 2026, the Glyptotek opens the largest special exhibition on antiquity in the museum’s history. Uniting the museum’s exceptional collection of Roman sculpture and unique loans from international museums, the exhibition shows the inextricable links between power and fashion that have existed for over 2,000 years.
Opening this autumn, the Glyptotek’s exhibition The Power of Fashion in the Roman Empire will be the most ambitious to date on fashion in antiquity.
Based on the museum’s long-standing research on colour and ancient dress and fashion, the exhibition presents the latest findings on the clothing, perfumes, jewellery and hairstyles those in power used to signal their position in the social hierarchy.
Covering over 1,000 m2, The Power of Fashion in the Roman Empire is an exhibition that appeals to the senses. Custom-made scents, research-based colours, a scenography of textiles and audio narratives all contribute to an immersive experience and space for reflection on people’s obsession – then as now – with status, identity and appearance.
Fashion as a display of power
What we wear is a way to show who we are and who we aspire to be. This was also true during the Roman Empire. Exploring its sculptures reveals the ideals of the period.
The Power of Fashion in the Roman Empire uncovers the visual language of ancient statues. Details such as draping, material and colour are clear indicators of the social standing and political role of those portrayed.
The sculptures are primarily of the men and women at the top of society who commissioned them, where every detail was a conscious choice. But behind the backs of these idealised portraits wicked tongues hissed, because the people of antiquity had opinions on those in power, just as we have today.
The idealised figures of the sculptures are accompanied by 12 listening posts where gossip and snide criticism of the elite’s appearance and clothing by Roman authors reveal how closely connected outer appearances were to ideas about morality and leadership.
The emperor’s pink clothes
The Glyptotek has been at the forefront of research on the colours, textiles, jewellery and perfumes of antiquity for years – research that for over a decade has been led by senior researcher and classical archaeologist Cecilie Brns. The museum is a frontrunner in the field, conducting the ground-breaking research that The Power of Fashion in the Roman Empire is based on. “Researching the fashion of antiquity gives us a key to understanding the portrait sculptures of the Roman Empire – who the people behind the sculptures were, as well as the kind of society and power structures they were part of,” says Cecilie Brns, the exhibition’s curator.
A central work in the exhibition is a portrait sculpture of the Roman emperor Tiberius. Recent research has revealed that the garment he wears was originally a delicate shade of pink, demonstrating that certain colours and clothing could have very different power associations for people in the Roman Empire than they do for us today.
“The aesthetics and colours people chose in antiquity do not necessarily correspond with modern gender stereotypes. Today a half-naked ruler wearing pink might come as a surprise, but for the Romans it was a clear visual statement of power, luxury and divine authority,” according to Cecilie Brns.
Rare exhibits on loan
The exhibition has a number of unique loans from other museums. These include three extremely rare tunics from the Roman Empire, exhibited beyond the confines of the British Museum for the very first time.
From the archaeological museum in Burdur in Trkiye comes a colossal portrait sculpture of Emperor Septimius Severus wearing lionskin boots. This is the first time the sculpture will be shown outside Trkiye.
A creative scent collaboration
The Glyptotek has worked with the Danish skincare company Karmameju to create scents based on ancient perfume recipes. There are four scent stations providing insight into Roman perfumes and their relationship to gender roles and status. Men, for example, wore flower scents for special occasions, whereas women tended to use stronger, more pungent perfumes.
Fashion is power—but who defines fashion today?
The exhibition includes contemporary interpretations of power and fashion by three design graduates from the Royal Danish Academy. These silhouettes are presented on pedestals in the Glyptotek’s monumental Central Hall.
