Cornelis de Vos, Lot n° 295

CARITAS ROMANA oil on wood. 98 x 126 cm. The theme of the painting illustrates the roman legend, transmitted by the poet Valerius Maximus. Afterwards the Roman seer Cimon was sentenced to death by starvation in a dungeon. His daughter, however, fed her father with her mother's milk. The subject has often been the subject of pictures in several stylistic periods. Here the two main figures are shown in the dark dungeon room, the father, as a philosopher accordingly long bearded, sitting on the floor with a turban-like headband, at the foot an iron ring with chains. The daughter, kneeling beside him, hands him her breast, looking back attentively to see if the two observers, a helmeted guard and a woman, notice what is happening. According to legend, the condemned man was finally released, as the judges were moved by the daughter's willing love. The subject of the picture, to be understood as an act of charity, has not always been seen in a positive light throughout history. After all, the scene borders on a taboo, which has been broken here, however. The painter has also devoted himself to religious themes on several occasions. Thus his other paintings "The Sacrifice of Isaac" or "The Idolatry of Solomon" can be used for comparison. Especially the two heads in the barred window are also close to the portraits of the painter. (1220225) Cornelis de Vos, 1584/85 Hulst/ Flanders - 1651 Antwerp, attributed CARITAS ROMANA Oil on panel. 98 x 126 cm. The artist painted this subject several times. His paintings of The Sacrifice of Isaac and The Idolatry of Solomon are good examples of comparison. Especially the two heads in the barred windows are similar to the artist's portraits.