Roman Charity
1803
Museo Arqueológico Nacional
basilio fumo (? – ?)
Discover Basilio Fumo, Brazilian sculptor renowned for 'Roman Charity' (1803). Explore his neoclassical style & impactful works reflecting human compassion & faith. #BasilioFumo #BrazilianArt #Sculpture
Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid, Spain)
Explore Spain's rich history at Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN), Madrid! Discover Iberian treasures, Roman artifacts & the Altamira Cave replica – a journey through 5000 years of culture.
This porcelain sculpture is a reproduction of a clay-fired sculpture modelled in 1779 by Basilio Fumo, a sculptor from the Royal Factory of El Buen Retiro (Madrid). It depicts a popular scene from the Modern Era, based on a story told by historian Valerius Maximus in his work Factorum et dictorum memorabilium (AD 14): Cimon, who was sentenced to starve to death, was suckled every day by his daughter Pero, who secretly fed him until the Roman officials, moved by the story, set the prisoner free. The humanist culture of the 15th century recovered the Roman writer’s work, and this example of familial love was popularised as an allegory of pagan Charity in the moralist literature of the Renaissance. Neoclassical in style, its surface is neither glazed nor painted in order to evoke the texture and colour of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. The figures are depicted with the restraint and decorum that fit with the moral message.
About this artwork
- Title: Roman Charity
- Artist: basilio fumo
- Year: 1803
- Format: Portrait
- Copyright status: Under copyright
- Where to see it: Museo Arqueológico Nacional
- Color palette: Earthy
- Perceived brightness: deep_shadow
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