Manlius Torquatus condemning his son to death - Berthélemy

Image series :

Paris, Salon de 1785

Notice précédente Notice n°3 sur 9 Notice suivante

Artist :

Berthélemy, Jean-Simon (1743-1811)

Date :

1785

Type of image :

Peinture sur toile

Dimensions (HxL cm) :

328x266 cm

Topic :

Histoire ancienne. Manlius Torquatus

Storage Location :

Tours, Musée des Beaux-Arts

n° inv. 803-1-2

Signed work

Description

"Manlius Torquatus condemning his son to death though victorious for fighting in spite of the consuls' defense, year of Rome 413." (1785 Salon booklet)

Titus Book had recounted the exploits of Titus Manlius against the Gauls in Book VII. Led in triumph by the Romans to the dictator, he wore around his neck as his only remains the collar (torques) of a giant Gaul he had defeated, hence his nickname Torquatus. The story of Manlius' son is recounted in Book VIII.

History :

1. Signed and dated lower right on a step "Berthelemy 1785".

3. We can compare the attitude of Manlius Torquatus, who refuses to look at his son, to that of Balthasar turning away from the feast to look at the inscription in Bertuzzi's Balthsar's Feast (see link).

Indexed items :

Trône, siège de commandement

Main masquant le visage

Estrade

Dais

Textual Sources :

Tite-Live, Histoire romaine, livre VIII

Technical Data

Notice #001222

Image HD

Past ID :

A0541

Image editing :

Scanner

Image Origin :

Collection particulière

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