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Scipio Africanus receiving his son

Oil Painting
1832 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The subject of this painting, which seems uncommon in art, is from the Roman historian Livy's, History of Rome. The brother of the Roman Consul Scipio, Publius Scipio Africanus, lieutenant in the Roman army, had his young son captured by the enemy, whose leader was the Asian King Antiochus, hearing of Africanus's illness, sent ambassadors to return him to his father.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleScipio Africanus receiving his son (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas
Brief description
Oil on canvas, 'Scipio Africanus Receiving His Son', George Smith, 1832.
Physical description
Oil on canvas depicting several figures including a middle-aged man, seated and embracing a child. Behind the chair stand a black woman, a white woman and a child. In front of the chair are three male figures holding staffs, one standing and two kneeling.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 125.6cm
  • Estimate width: 161.7cm
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990
Marks and inscriptions
Signed 'Geo Smith 1832 Roma'
Credit line
Given by Samuel Redgrave
Object history
Given by Samuel Redgrave, 1869
Historical context


Subject depicted
Summary
The subject of this painting, which seems uncommon in art, is from the Roman historian Livy's, History of Rome. The brother of the Roman Consul Scipio, Publius Scipio Africanus, lieutenant in the Roman army, had his young son captured by the enemy, whose leader was the Asian King Antiochus, hearing of Africanus's illness, sent ambassadors to return him to his father.
Bibliographic reference
Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, p. 267
Collection
Accession number
39-1869

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Record createdMarch 15, 2006
Record URL
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