Title
"The Continence of Scipio"
Object Type
Creator
Date
c. 1700-1725
Description
THE CONTINENCE OF SCIPIO (Italian, c. 1700-1725) by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (Italian, 1675-1741). One painting of a series of four oil on canvas Roman history paintings (Venetian, c. 1700-1725), depicting scenes in the life of Scipio Africanus (236-183BC), the Roman general and statesman who conquered the North African City of Carthage in 203 B.C. These paintings are original to the Ca' Corner, Rio San Polo, (San Toma) Venice and were part of the decoration of the Great Room or Portego. They were probably removed in the late 1880s and purchased on the Paris art market by Jules Allard, who in 1896-97 offered the series then on display in his New York showroom to client Edward J. Berwind. The series originally comprised six overdoors and four wall panels.
The seated Scipio is depicted returning a captured young woman of Nova Carthago to her fiancé, a Celt-Iberian chieftain named Allucius, having refused to accept her from his troops as a prize of war. Allucius, in turn, as a result of this gesture, brought over his tribe to support the Roman armies under Scipio against the Carthaginians, 210BC.
The seated Scipio is depicted returning a captured young woman of Nova Carthago to her fiancé, a Celt-Iberian chieftain named Allucius, having refused to accept her from his troops as a prize of war. Allucius, in turn, as a result of this gesture, brought over his tribe to support the Roman armies under Scipio against the Carthaginians, 210BC.
Cultural Origin
Italy
Medium
Oil
Extent
12'H by 12'2"W
Collection
Source
Preservation Society of Newport County purchase, June 28, 1962, as part of The Elms, due to architectural mounting.
Identifier
PSNC.2754.2
For more information about this item, please contact its owning institution.