Italian (Roman) School, Goddess Roma (Dea Roma / Roma Barberini), oil on canvas, Italy, c. 1760-1800
9500,00 zł
The painting depicts a frontal, dignified, and majestic portrayal of the Goddess Roma seated on a monumental throne, modeled after the famous 4th-century ancient fresco (“Dea Roma” from the Barberini collection, discovered in Rome in 1655).
The Goddess is depicted in attire reminiscent of traditional Roman tutelary deities. She wears a yellow-gold tunic tied below the breasts with a dark band and a cascading, pink-red cloak (palla). Her head is adorned with a golden parade helmet featuring a magnificent, dense plume of white and dark feathers. Her facial features are idealized, with smooth skin, large eyes, and small lips – reflecting the academic canon of beauty of early Neoclassicism. Classic red Roman sandals (calcei) are visible on her feet.
In her open right hand, the goddess holds aloft a winged figurine of the goddess of victory (Nike), who raises a red banner and holds a golden apple (orb) – a symbol of dominion over the world. With her left hand, Roma leans on a tall, golden scepter. Beside her rests a large, round shield (ancile) with a richly ornamented surface.
At the bottom of the painting, on a gray plinth stylized as antique stone, a meticulously calligraphed inscription in Roman capital script is visible:
VIRTVS HONOR IMPERIVM
This formulates the triad of Roman state values: Valor (Virtue), Honor, and Sovereign Power (Imperium). The triangular points separating the words (hederae) are a direct reference to classical Latin epigraphy.
Dimensions: 47.5 x 34.5 cm, framed (period frame)
1 in stock
The painting has undergone conservation. The original, stepped period frame (second half of the 18th century) features a classical profile, gilded on a bole ground. Numerous old and inactive woodworm holes are visible on the frame's wood and stretcher bars, confirming the object's age.
The work represents a Roman (Italian) workshop with a clear influence from the French academic school of the second half of the 18th century. This is a classic example of Roman souvenir production for the international market, where an Italian subject and local materials (raw canvas, stretcher) met with the French fashion for idealized classicism. The modeling of the face, its subtlety, the “porcelain” smoothness of the complexion, and delicate chiaroscuro transitions resemble the French variant of Neoclassicism, promoted by artists associated with the French Academy in Rome (Académie de France à Rome). French painters and students massively copied Roman monuments, combining the raw Italian antique with refined French grace.
| Weight | 1,9 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 47,5 × 34,5 cm |
| Kolorystyka |
Gold-yellow ,Gray-green ,Pink-red |
| Czas powstania |
ca. 1760-1800 |
| Era |
Enlightenment |
| Kraj pochodzenia |
Italy |
| Autor |
Unknown |
| State of preservation |
The painting has undergone conservation. The original, stepped period frame (second half of the 18th century) features a classical profile, gilded on a bole ground. Numerous old and inactive woodworm holes are visible on the frame's wood and stretcher bars, confirming the object's age. |
| Material / Technique |
Oil on canvas |
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