Marius at Minturnae
ca. 1796–1800
Medium
Etching and aquatint, printed in brown ink on wove paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 3/4 × 11 1/16 in. (22.3 × 28.1 cm) Plate: 7 1/16 × 9 1/16 in. (18 × 23 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Stephen A. Geiger Gift, 2016
Accession Number
2016.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Marius at Minturnae *François-Xavier Fab, ca. 1796–1800* Step into the dramatic world of ancient Rome with François-Xavier Fabre's print *Marius at Minturn*. This etching and aquatint captures pivotal moment from the life of Gaius Marius, the legendary Roman general and seven-time consul. Exiled and captured in 88 BCE at the town of Minturnae, Marius faced a young soldier tasked with his execution. Legend tells that the assassin's nerve failed under the weight of Marius's commanding gaze, leading to the immortal line: "Do you not know, young man, that I am Marius Cinnanum?" Fabre, a Fre...