An unrepeteable summa of texts and images on triumph in antiquity, certain to remain an exhaustive monograph on the subject...
With contributions from authoritative scholars in Italy and
abroad, the catalogue provides a full account of an
unrepeatable exhibition which presented outstanding
iconographic records from museums around the world
to illustrate one of the most important ceremonies in the
political and cultural history of ancient Rome: the triumph.
They are above all reliefs but also paintings and objects
of artistic craftsmanship which celebrate in
ideological and propaganda terms the crucial occasions
when generals, on returning from their military
campaigns, marched through the monumental streets of the
the Eternal City between applauding crowds to the Capitol,
where their triumphs would be consecrated.
Painted panels illustrated the crucial battles while
the victor’s chariot would be followed by captives
taken in conquered lands and a wealth of trophies,
among which a fundamental part was played by
works of art which, by the stir they caused, influenced
the Romans’ aesthetic taste. All this we learn
from ancient authors and this is what Mantegna succeeded
in “romantically” evoking