Spanish neoclassical school; c. 1810-1820.

Spanish neoclassical school; c. 1810-1820.
"Belisario".
Oil on canvas.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 69 x 52 cm; 80 x 62 cm (frame).
After the publication of Jean-François Marmontel's novel "Belisarius" in 1767, the story became a rather popular subject for painters of the late 18th and 19th centuries, who saw a certain parallel between the way Justinian I acted and the repression imposed by his rulers. As a result, Marmontel's novel was publicly censured by Louis Legrand. Marmontel and the artists represented Belisarius as a kind of saint, in the non-religious sense of the term, who shared the suffering of the poor and needy.