Full title | The Continence of Scipio |
---|---|
Artist | Giulio Licinio |
Artist dates | about 1527; died after 1584 |
Series | Scenes from Ancient Roman History |
Date made | after 1566 |
Medium and support | Oil on canvas, transferred from wood |
Dimensions | 35.6 x 153 cm |
Acquisition credit | Bought, 1860 |
Inventory number | NG643.2 |
Location | Not on display |
Collection | Main Collection |
The Continence of Scipio is one of a series of paintings that show scenes from ancient Roman history. They were probably intended to be inserted into wall panelling. Three other pictures in the series are in the National Gallery’s collection: The Attack on Cartagena, The Rape of the Sabines and The Intervention of the Sabine Women.
The painting depicts an event that reveals the Roman general Scipio Africanus’s clemency as a military leader. During Scipio’s campaign against the Carthaginians in Iberia his troops took a beautiful young woman prisoner. Here, the young woman stands behind the seated Scipio in a modest pose based on classical statues of Venus (known in Latin as Venus pudica). Rather than abusing her, Scipio allows the young woman to return to her fiancé, provided that her family become friends of Rome. The ransom raised by her family is being unloaded from camels, but Scipio returns it as a wedding gift, thereby showing both financial and sexual restraint.
The Continence of Scipio is one of a series of paintings that show scenes from ancient Roman history. They were made to decorate a room and were originally painted on wooden panel, although they have since been transferred to canvas. Their size and horizontal format suggests they were probably intended to be inserted into wall panelling, as was common practice in Renaissance Venice.
Three other pictures in the series are in the National Gallery’s collection: The Attack on Cartagena, The Rape of the Sabines and The Intervention of the Sabine Women. A further two pictures from the series are in a private collection: Coriolanus and Scipio rewarding the Soldiers.
The painting depicts an event that reveals Scipio Africanus’s clemency as a military leader. The episode is described by the Roman author Livy in his account of the Second Punic War, and is also inserted into translations of Plutarch’s Lives. During Scipio Africanus’s campaign against the Carthaginians in Iberia his troops took a beautiful young woman prisoner. In Licinio’s painting, the scene is set before the pavilions of Scipio’s camp, which is high above a distant town in a mountainous landscape. The young woman stands behind the seated Scipio in a modest pose based on classical statues of Venus (known in Latin as Venus pudica).
Rather than abusing her, Scipio has summoned the young woman’s parents and fiancé, Allucius, who have arrived with a ransom to free her. The parents are in the centre of the panel instructing their servants to unload gold and silver treasures from their camels and present them to Scipio. Allucius approaches Scipio and respectfully asks for his fiancée’s release. Scipio allows the young woman to return to her fiancé, provided that the family become friends of Rome. He then returns the ransom to them as a wedding gift, thereby showing both financial and sexual restraint.
During the Italian Renaissance, Scipio’s noble example was frequently cited and depicted as Italian states were often warring with each other and with neighbouring lands. The episode was also popular for paintings commissioned at the time of a marriage. A similar example of clemency is the generous treatment by Alexander the Great of the family of the defeated Persian king, Darius, as seen in the large painting by Veronese also in the National Gallery’s collection.
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Scenes from Ancient Roman History
These four pictures are from a series of paintings of scenes from ancient Roman history. They were made for the decoration of a room and were originally painted on panel but have since been transferred to canvas. Their size and horizontal format suggests they were probably intended to be inserted into wall panelling, as was common practice in Renaissance Venice.
The pictures in the National Gallery’s collection show: The Attack on Cartagena; The Continence of Scipio; The Rape of the Sabines; and The Intervention of the Sabine Women. Two other pictures from the same series, Coriolanus and Scipio rewarding the Soldiers, are in a private collection.
These four pictures are from a series of paintings by Giulio Licinio showing scenes from ancient Roman history. They were made for the decoration of a room and were originally painted on panel but have since been transferred to canvas. Their size and horizontal format suggests they were probably intended to be inserted into wall panelling, as was common practice in Renaissance Venice.
The Attack on Cartagena depicts a famous Roman victory by Scipio Africanus over the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War. The Continence of Scipio records Scipio’s mercy as a military leader when he refused a ransom for a female prisoner and returned her safely to her family. The Rape of the Sabines shows a scene from ancient Roman legend, when the men of newly founded Rome abducted women from the neighbouring Sabine nation. The Intervention of the Sabine Women depicts the heroic attempt by the Sabine women to end the war between their Sabine fathers and Roman husbands and bring both sides to peace. There are also two other pictures from the same series in a private collection: Coriolanus and Scipio rewarding the Soldiers. There may originally have been more paintings in the series which are lost.
The Rape of the Sabines and the Intervention of the Sabines are both covered with a discoloured varnish which affects their appearance. Licinio’s approach to colour and the original appearance of this series of paintings can be more easily appreciated in The Attack on Cartagena and The Continence of Scipio.




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