Gavin Hamilton, 1723–1798, British, active in Italy (1744–48 and 1756 on)
Title:
The Death of Lucretia
Date:
1763 to 1767
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
84 x 104 inches (213.4 x 264.2 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.318
Gallery Label:
The Scottish-born painter Gavin Hamilton spent most of his adult life as a successful art dealer and archaeologist in Rome. As an artist, he played a leading role in forging the neoclassical style. According to legend, the death of Lucretia, a virtuous noblewoman during the reign of the tyrant King Tarquin, was a pivotal event in the foundation of the Roman republic. After being raped by the king’s son, Lucretia stabbed herself in the presence of her husband Collatinus, her father, and two companions-in-arms, Lucius Junius Brutus and Valerius Publicola. Dying, she begged them to seek revenge. In Hamilton’s painting, she is shown collapsing against her husband, who covers his face in grief. Brutus holds up the bloodstained dagger and, joined by Lucretia’s father and Valerius, swears an oath to overthrow Tarquin. From this moment, Brutus leads the revolt; Tarquin and his family are expelled, and the Roman republic is established. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016