The Head of Pompey Presented to Julius Caesar (recto); Study for an Elaborate Door Frame (verso)
1675–1741
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over red and black chalk; traces of white chalk at upper right edge (recto); pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk (verso)
Dimensions
11 5/16 x 14 11/16in. (28.7 x 37.3cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John S. Newberry, 1961
Accession Number
61.210
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, a Venetian Rococo artist active in the early 18th century, created this dynamic double-sided drawing around his mature career (1675–1741). The recto depicts a dramatic moment from ancient Roman history: the severed of Pompey the Great presented to Julius Caesar following his defeat at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48. This grisly episode, recounted by ancient historians like Plutarch, symbolizes Caesar's ruthless ambition and the brutal power struggles of the late Roman Republic. Pellegrini's composition captures the tension through expressive figures, evoking the the...