Artwork
Portia and Brutus
Portia and Brutus is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Ercole de'Roberti. It dates from 1494 and is held in the collection of the Cook collection.
About this work
Overview
Portia and Brutus is a tempera painting on panel created by Ercole de' Roberti around 1486–1490. It is now held in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, having been acquired in 1986.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar's assassin, and his wife Porcia. It was likely part of a series showing famous women from antiquity, referencing the motto 'Preferisco la morte al disonore' ('I prefer death to dishonor'), associated with Eleanor of Aragon, wife of Ercole I d'Este.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in tempera, a technique involving egg yolks mixed with pigment. The dark green background contrasts with the figures standing on a white floor. The couple is rendered in detail, with Brutus wearing a red coat and Porcia dressed in green with a gold head covering.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Ercole de' Roberti, also known as Ercole Ferrarese or Ercole da Ferrara, was an Italian artist of the Early Renaissance and the School of Ferrara. He was profiled in Vasari's Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori.
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