Cloelia Fleeing from the Etruscan King Porsena
About this artwork
In the early history of Rome (around 500BC), an Etruscan King called Lars Porsena came into conflict with the Roman Republic. The Etruscans and the Romans both occupied the area that is modern day Italy. Eventually a peace treaty was drawn up, and as part of the settlement the Romans handed over ten daughters and ten sons as hostages to Porsena, of which Cloelia was one. She mounted a daring escape from the Etruscans, swimming across the Tiber to safety and helping many of her fellow captors. Fearing reprisals, the girls’ families sent them back to King Porsena’s camp, where he granted her and her companions freedom because of the bravery they had displayed in their escape. Salviati has shown the hostages slipping out of the Etruscan camp as the guards sleep.
Updated before 2020
-
artist:Giuseppe Salviati (Giuseppe Porta) (about 1520 - after 1575) Italian
-
title:Cloelia Fleeing from the Etruscan King Porsena
-
date created:1550s
-
materials:Pen, brown ink and wash, over black chalk, heightened with white on paper
-
measurements:14.10 x 18.10 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:William Finlay Watson Bequest 1881
-
accession number:D 3139
-
gallery:
-
subject:
Giuseppe Salviati (Giuseppe Porta)
Giuseppe Salviati (Giuseppe Porta)
Giuseppe Porta was born in the province of Lucca in Tuscany, but when he moved to Rome to study, Giuseppe adopted the name of his master, Francesco Salviati. They travelled to Venice together in 1539, and when Salviati left two years later, Giuseppe chose to remain in the city and eventually became...