Caesar’s Triumph

The painting is derived from scene No. VIII of the famous monumental cycle painted by Andrea Mantegna in the years 1484-1492 for the Count of Mantua, Giovanni Francesco II Gonzaga. This cycle, consisting of nine canvases, was originally situated in the San Sebastiano Palace in Mantua. Here it also attracted the attention of Peter Paul Rubens, who was staying in Mantua around 1608. The work of Andrea Mantegna, drawing on the literary and artistic heritage of antiquity enthralled the humanistically inclined Rubens, for Mantegna -like Rubens himself - included in his compositions frequent quotations or clever paraphrases of works from antiquity. The parts of the cycle show various sections of the triumphal march of the Roman statesman Caesar and his numerous accompanying cohorts - here in concrete the painter captured musicians and standard-bearer; the painting situated close by shows the plundered art treasures and weapons. The picture was found in the painter’s legacy - before this it was one of the gems of Rubens own art collection.