The Continence of Scipio
Sebastiano Ricci
1701–1711
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 140 × 182 cm (55 × 71 1/2 in.); Framed: 165.1 × 209.6 cm (65 × 82 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- oil on canvas
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
historical figuresoil paintings (visual works)paintingred (color)paintmilitaryleadershiptheatricalroyalcanvasarchitecturearchitechturewomanRomanblueyellow (color)oil on canvashelmetsSoldierslovemengeneralsoil paint (paint)painting (image making)characterspainting techniquesdraperyItalianafricancaptivetowermanleadershistoric placesweaponsoil paintingcostumeArmoreuropean paintingTextilenobility18th Centuryarches
About
This painting depicts a scene from the life of Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama (in present-day Tunisia) in 202 BCE. Here Scipio demonstrates his leadership by acting with restraint (“continence”) in refusing to hold a woman as a captive of war. According to the story on which the painting is based, the woman’s fiancé, shown kneeling beside her, was a powerful prince who agreed to a military alliance with Scipio in gratitude for his lenience. The theatrical setting and costumes—the invented military helmets, anachronistically dressed characters, fanciful architecture, and gravity-defying drapery, for example— suggest that the artist’s aims were allegorical rather than historical, intended above all to illustrate for viewers the virtues of compassionate diplomacy.
