Final answer:
It is false that Roman monumental sculptures always presented fully idealized portraits of rulers, as they often included veristic features for realism, although they did glorify and idealize to emphasize power and authority.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that monumental sculptures present fully idealized portraits of Roman rulers is false. Although Roman portrait sculptures often glorified and idealized their subjects, particularly emperors, to emphasize their power and authority, they also incorporated veristic elements that aimed for realism. For instance, during the Roman Republic, veristic portraiture was a significant style where hyper-realism was emphasized, including wrinkles and individual facial traits. The sculptures from the Sanctuary of Hercules, such as the Portrait of a Roman General, exhibit a blend of individualized facial features with an idealized body, suggesting a level of idealization but not to a completely idealized extent.
Additionally, Roman art was profoundly influenced by Hellenistic standards, but it departed from the perfect idealized forms that characterize much of Greek art. Instead, Roman artists would often convey a flair for expression and distinctive features within their works. While the mythical and divine figures might be depicted with idealized forms, portraits of historical figures could bear realistic features. The practice of creating official portrait types for circulation in media like sculpture and coinage was a Roman standard; these portraits served to help chronologize history.