Assassination of Julius Caesar
1793–96
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and gray wash over graphite
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 9/16 × 10 9/16 in. (19.2 × 26.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cephas G. Thompson, 1887
Accession Number
87.12.171
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic tension of Vincenzo Camuccini's *Assassination of Julius* (1793–96), a masterful preparatory drawing that captures one of history's most infamous moments. Created during the late Enlightenment era, when fascination with ancient Rome surged amid revolutionary fervor in Europe, this work depicts the brutal stabbing of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BC. Camuccini, an Italian artist steeped in Neoclassicism, draws viewers into the chaos through dynamic figures—senators lunging with daggers, Caesar recoiling in betrayal—evoking the timeless themes of power, ambition...
About the Artist
Vincenzo Camuccini · 1771–1844
Comment on works: Portraits; History