The Romans of decadence - Thomas Couture

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The Romans of decadence - Thomas Couture

The Romans of decadence - Thomas Couture

Image series :
Paris, Salon de 1847

Notice précédente Notice n°2 sur 2

Artist :
Couture, Thomas (1815-1879)
Date :
1847
Type of image :
Peinture sur toile
Dimensions (HxL cm) :
472x772 cm
Topic :
Ancient history
Storage Location :
Paris, Musée d’Orsay
INV 3451

Description

The three figures in the foreground (one on the left, two on the right), who are not taking part in the bacchanal, are Republicans, whom this decadence saddens and disgusts. For the audience of the July Monarchy, it made perfect sense... Jacobin, republican and anticlerical, Thomas Couture criticizes the moral decadence of July Monarchy France, whose ruling class had been discredited by a series of scandals.

Couture, in the libretto, quotes two lines from Juvenal's Satire VI:

More cruel than war, vice has fallen on Rome and avenges the vanquished universe.

Nunc patimur longæ pacis mala: sævior armis
Luxuria incubuit, victumque ulciscitur orbem.

History :

2. State commission, June 25, 1846. Salon purchase.

Textual Sources :
Juvénal (vers 55 - après 128)

Technical Data

Notice #024969

Image HD

Image editing :
Image web
Image Origin :
Google Arts & Culture (https://artsandculture.google.com)

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