Sanguine Drawing Neoclassical Subject

Period red chalk drawing with neoclassical subject. Depicting the Atilius Regulus departing for Carthage. Atilius Regulus was a Roman statesman taken prisoner during the first Punic War between Rome and Carthage. During his long captivity, the Carthaginians decided to return him to Rome to trade him for prisoners and ask for an end to the war, obliging him to return if he could not convince the Romans and be condemned to death. Attilius Regolus realized his enemies’ extremely strained state and convinced Rome to launch an attack on the Carthaginians, whom he considered much weakened. At the end of the story, Attilius Regolus, keeping the promise to his enemies, left for Carthage where he tragically met his death. The scene beautifully depicts the suffering of his wife Marcia and his children who did not want to let him go. The style, the poses of the figures, and the technique suggest it was made in the early 19th century by a French artist following Jacques-Louis David. This remarkable work is embellished with gold-edged mounting paper and a beautiful wooden frame. The highly dynamic and evocative scene is undoubtedly from ancient classical literature, likely from an episode of ancient republican Rome described by Titus Livy and sung by the poet Horace.