Regisole
Spriggs’ ‘Regisole’ is inspired by the ancient equestrian statue of the same name originally erected during the 3rd century AD for a Roman Emperor in Ravenna, Italy. ‘Regisole’ means ‘Sun King’. Regis is Latin for king, and Sol means the sun. The original ‘Regisole’ was destroyed after the French Revolution since it was seen as a symbol of monarchy. Spriggs’ positioning of the police officer and horse accurately represent the description of the positioning of the original ‘Regisole’, such as with the outstretched hand of the officer in the ‘adlocutio‘ position (Latin: addressing) exercising power and authority.

Eliogabalo (Heliogabalus)
Written in 1667 by Italian composer Francesco Cavalli, the opera is based on the life of the Roman child emperor Heliogabalus, who anointed himself a sun god and was known for overt displays of wealth, power and sexuality.more…

Satyricon
Fellini Satyricon, or simply Satyricon, is a 1969 Italian fantasy drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini and loosely based on Petronius’s work Satyricon, written during the reign of Emperor Nero and set in imperial Rome. The film is divided into nine episodes, following Encolpius and his friend Ascyltus as they try to win the heart of a young boy named Gitón within a surreal and dream-like Roman landscape.
The film opens on a graffiti–covered wall with Encolpius lamenting the loss of his lover Gitón to Ascyltus. Vowing to win him back, he learns at the Thermae that Ascyltus sold Gitón to the actor Vernacchio. At the theatre, he discovers Vernacchio and Gitón performing in a lewd play based on the “emperor’s miracle”: a slave’s hand is axed off and replaced with a gold one. Encolpius storms the stage and reclaims Gitón. On their return to Encolpius’s home in the Insula Felicles, a Roman tenement building, they walk through the vast Roman brothel known as the Lupanare, observing numerous sensual scenes. They fall asleep after making love at Encolpius’s place. Ascyltus sneaks into the room, waking Encolpius with a whiplash. Since both share the tenement room, Encolpius proposes they divide up their property and separate. Ascyltus mockingly suggests they split Gitón in half. Encolpius is driven to suicidal despair, however, when Gitón decides to leave with Ascyltus. At that moment, an earthquake destroys the tenement.