Giacomo De Maria (Bologna, 1762 - 1838)
Brutus Condemns His Sons, 1797 ca.
stucco; inv. S 21
original placement
Muzio Scevola, 1797 ca.
stucco; inv. S 24
original placement
The two bas-reliefs by Giacomo De Maria, representing episodes from
Roman history, were designed to be placed above the doors that flank
The Genius in the Galleria Vidoniana.
The scene on the left celebrates Marcus Brutus’ devotion to
the State, which he demonstrated by placing his political role above
family ties when he condemned his own sons to death for having broken
the law.
In the second scene, Muzio Scevola places his right hand on a burning
brazier. Before him sits Porsenna, the Etruscan tyrant whom he intended
to kill, while on the left a warrior removes the lifeless body of the
courtier killed by Scevola in place of the king. Brutus and Muzio
Scevola are both prominent figures from the history of the Roman
Republic, an ideal iconographical source according to Enlightenment
thought.
Art had the function of representing exemplary themes in order to
encourage virtuous behavior in the citizens. It seems highly
appropriate that these works were placed in the Galleria Vidoniana
which, after the 1797 renovations, was the antechamber of the members
of the Directory of the Repubblica Cispadana.
