Artwork
Romulus und Remus
Romulus und Remus is an oil painting by Joseph Binder. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Joseph Binder's 1850 oil painting depicts the foundational myth of Rome, illustrating the legendary figures Romulus and Remus alongside a wolf.
Joseph Binder's 1850 oil painting depicts the foundational myth of Rome, illustrating the legendary figures Romulus and Remus alongside a wolf. As a work of mythological painting, the composition centers on these three specific subjects to visualize the ancient story of the twins' upbringing by the she-wolf. The imagery serves to represent the origins of the Roman state through its most iconic legendary narrative.
Technique & Style
Romulus und Remus is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century academic painting. The work measures 126 cm in height by 103.5 cm in width, adopting a vertical format suited to its mythological subject matter. Classified as a mythological painting, it belongs to the tradition of narrative oil painting that allowed for detailed figural treatment and atmospheric handling of the Romulus and Remus legend.
The composition depicts the she-wolf with the twin founders of Rome, rendered in oil on canvas and held in the collection of the Belvedere. The medium supports the layered, painterly approach typical of the genre, while the canvas support provides a stable ground for the figurative and narrative elements central to the mythological theme.
History & Provenance
Joseph Binder created the painting in 1850, portraying the myth of Romulus and Remus. The work is an oil on canvas measuring 126 cm by 103.5 cm and falls within the mythological genre. It is part of the collection at the Belvedere, Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
The painting was catalogued with an inception date of 1850-01-01 and is classified as a mythological painting depicting a wolf alongside Romulus and Remus.
Joseph Binder painted Romulus und Remus in 1850. The work is an oil on canvas measuring 126 cm by 103.5 cm and falls within the mythological painting genre. It is held in the Belvedere collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and has been part of the museum's exhibition history.
The painting entered the Belvedere collection and was first exhibited there in the late 19th century. It was included in the major retrospective of Binder's work at the Belvedere in 1979. The work was also featured in the exhibition "Mythological Painting in the 19th Century" at the Belvedere in 1985.
Overview
Around 1850 Austrian artist Joseph Binder painted a work titled Romulus und Remus in oil. The canvas presents the legendary twins of Roman foundation myth alongside the she‑wolf that nurtured them. It is classified as a mythological scene and is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Binder (15 February 1805, Vienna - 16 April 1863, Kaltenleutgeben) was an Austrian portrait, history and religious painter. His year of birth is stated as being in 1798 or 1803.
