Messalina is probably one of the most famous historical figures of Ancient Rome. Her scandalous behaviors and her participation in a plot against her husband gave her quite a bad reputation. Today, she is seen as the incarnation of the Roman vices and this is what this new RnB042 - Messalina figure is all about.

Despite being from a noble family, not much about Messalina is known when it comes to her early life. Her family tree can be traced back, but even important dates such as her birthday are unsure. It’s only after her wedding with Claudius that her story became noted. Afther the assassination of Caligula by the Preatorian Guard and the naming of Claudius as Emperor, Messalina became Empress. It’s during that time that she became known for her lust for power, torture and sexual pleasures, abusing of her imperial position to get what she wants. She is reported to have converted a part of the palace in lupanar, poisoned people and plotted against her husband. Eventually, she tried to commit suicide after the plot against Claudius was exposed. Unfortunately for her, she only managed to wound herself and had to be put to death by a guard. Following Messalina’s death, most traces of her life in court were destroyed. This included the destruction of many sculptures depicting her as her name on coins.

A surviving coin with Messalina on one side and Claudius on the other.

Because of the efforts to erase any traces of Messalina’s existence, not much of her life can be safely confirmed. In addition, the earliest historians who wrote about her were known to be hostile to Messalina’s lineage. So it seems that her story might have been exaggerated. The uncertainties about the details of her scandalous life makes her a perfect figure for personal interpretations. This is why Messalina became the subject for many paintings, books and films.

Belinda Lee in the 1960 Italian movie Messalina, Venere imperatrice.

The figure that King and Country produced is following that personal interpretation approach. It seems to combine features from many peplum actresses who played Messalina. With her golden bracelets and white dress, the closest match seems to be Belinda Lee from Messalina, Venere imperatrice. Getting inspiration from that movie genre is a good idea for such a figure as those movies are known for their cheesy but fun approach. And so, as we should expect from a proper peplum movie, historical accuracy was sacrificed for a more fantasized depiction of the character. This is quickly confirmed by the use of tall gladiator sandals on high heels. Cleverly placed cuts on the dress allow to show a lot of skin on the legs a bit everywhere else. This is probably the most efficient and direct way to depict her lusty habits. Personally, I prefer the more subtle details like the expression on her face and the use of a sensual contrapposto to show this behavior.

To conclude, historians all agree that most facts reported on Messalina are based on real events. However, to know where the fiction ends and the truth begins is in all this might be impossible. From the missing bits and pieces of her life, the reinvented Messalina became one of the most iconic femme fatale in history and popular culture. Her myth gave birth to a long lasting trend of personal interpretations in which this figure from King and Country is the latest addition. With such a character, it could have been easy to fall into the trap of producing a cheap looking sexy figure with gratuitous nudity, but the peplum cinema approach keeps it on the good track and makes this Messalina a formidable piece for movie enthusiasts.