Henry Fuseli

Caius Marius and the Cimbrian Soldier

Artwork Detail

Roman consul, general and military reformer Caius (Gaius) was imprisoned at Minturnae in 88 BC by a rival Roman general, Sulla. Here a Cimbrian soldier sent to murder him retreats in terror when Caius cries out, ‘Who dares kill Marius?’ While Caius first appeared in a text by Plutarch in 75 AD, Fuseli may equally have been inspired by Thomas Otway’s play, The History and Fall of Caius Marius (1679). The narrative was also performed as an opera around 1760, the set for which is still extant in Turin and which Fuseli may have seen.

Title
Caius Marius and the Cimbrian Soldier
Artist/creator
Henry Fuseli
Production date
circa 1764-circa 1765
Medium
pen and ink with grey wash
Dimensions
306 x 486 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1965
Accession no
1965/66
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

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