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The Death of Caesar
(18th and 19th Centuries )
In 44CE a group of senators banded together to kill Julius Caesar, who they believed was taking too much power for himself and endangering the Roman Republic. Rather than show the dramatic moment that the conspirators attacked, as artists had often done before him, Gérôme chose to depict the moment immediately following Caesar’s murder. His body is abandoned in the foreground next to a toppled throne, and the senators rush out into the sunlight with their swords held aloft. Only one man is left in the seats to the right, brooding over the scene. The dramatic use Gérôme makes of architecture, lighting, and props is a lesson in scenography. His highly choreographed paintings influenced early filmmakers and continue to resonate in movies and serials set in ancient Roman.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
M. J. Allard; John Taylor Johnston [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John Taylor Johnston Sale, New York, 1876, no. 188; John Jacob Astor [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Boussod Veladon et Cie [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; James B. Haggin et al. Sale, New York, April 5, 1917, no. 148; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1917, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2014-2016 | From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2010-2011 | The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Musee D'Orsay, Paris; Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. |
| 2002-2004 | A Magnificent Age: Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte. |
| 2000-2002 | Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach; Dayton Art Institute, Dayton; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo. |
| 1998-2001 | Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1998 | Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1996 | Millet and Barbizon Art. Matsumoto City Museum, Matsumoto City; Tokuyama City Museum of Art and History, Tokuyama; Kasama Nichido Museum, Kasama City; Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Kanazawa. |
| 1995 | Parallels and Precedents: Baltimore's George A. Lucas Collection. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
| 1992 | Manet and the Execution of Maximilian. |
| 1990 | Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. |
| 1978-1979 | The Second Empire 1852-1870: Art in France under Napoleon III. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. |
| 1977-1978 | I, Claudius: Art in the Age of Julio-Claudians. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/28/1951 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 10/20/1971 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
| 5/8/1972 | Treatment | coated; cleaned; loss compensation |
| 7/14/1978 | Treatment | re-housed |
| 7/25/1986 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 11/7/1988 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 9/6/1989 | Treatment | repaired; other |
| 8/8/1990 | Treatment | coated |
| 11/12/1991 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 5/4/1995 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 11/16/1995 | Treatment | other |
| 12/28/1995 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 5/22/1996 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 4/12/1999 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
Measurements
H: 33 11/16 x W: 57 5/16 in. (85.5 x 145.5 cm); Framed H: 51 1/2 x W: 74 3/8 x D: 5 1/2 in. (130.81 x 188.91 x 13.97 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1917
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.884