Nero's Torches
1888
oil
canvas
From the collection of National Museum in Kraków
About the artist
Artist
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Hektor Siemiradzki (24 October 1843 – 23 August 1902) was a Polish painter.
See the richer artist page1888
oil
canvas
From the collection of National Museum in Kraków
Nero's Torches is a 1888 oil by Henryk Siemiradzki, held at National Museum in Kraków.
Nero's Torches (Polish: Pochodnie Nerona) is an 1876 oil-on-canvas painting by the Polish and Russian artist Henryk Siemiradzki. It is also known as Candlesticks of Christianity (Świeczniki chrześcijaństwa).
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
It depicts a group of Early Christian martyrs who are about to be burned alive as the alleged perpetrators of the Great Fire of Rome, during the reign of emperor Nero in 64 AD. People from many different social spheres, including the emperor himself, are present to watch the burning, which takes place in front of the Domus Aurea. The motif is based on the descriptions by Suetonius and Tacitus of the torture of Christians, such as the following: Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting was first exhibited in 1876 at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. It went on to tour Europe with stops in Vienna, Munich, Prague, Lviv, Berlin, Saint Petersburg, Poznań, Paris and London. It was met with critical acclaim by masters of academic art such as Hans Makart and Lawrence Alma-Tadema. It has been the target of criticism over Siemiradzki's handling of exterior human beauty by painter and controversial art theoretician Stanisław Witkiewicz opposed to historical realism in general, and the monumental art of Jan Matejko in particular. Siemiradzki donated Nero's Torches to the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Henryk Hektor Siemiradzki (24 October 1843 – 23 August 1902) was a Polish painter.
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