The best orator of Rome, and a great poet and writer. He became caught up in the struggle between Caesar and Pompey, and eventually fell foul of Antony. Great paintings too.
narrative
A common convention in paintings of classical myth, the river god was a bearded old man with a put pouring forth water, often seen with a Naiad, his daughter.
The seductive sorceress Armida is quietly wreaking havoc among the crusaders besieging Jerusalem. Then Erminia leaves the city, in search of her love, the wounded warrior Tancred.
One of the great orators of Greece, he fled into exile when found guilty of accepting a bribe, and later took poison before he could be arrested. Includes an unusual painting by Turner.
In the first skirmish outside Jerusalem, Tancred meets the beautiful Clorinda and almost kills her before declaring his love. Armida tries to beguile Godfrey with a tale of woe.
A Roman who stuck to his principles and fought corruption, bribery, and the seizing of power by Caesar. What could be more appropriate when you live in troubled times?
One of the greatest Athenian generals, whose career coincided with a time when Athens was a shipwrecked state. The people voted for his execution. Two Poussin landscapes, and more.
The crusaders start their march down the Mediterranean coast towards Jerusalem. Gabriel appears to Godfrey, and a young couple are saved from being burned at the stake by a ‘pagan’ woman knight.
Made dictator for life, Caesar quickly became unpopular to the point where his life was under threat. Paintings by Rubens, von Piloty, and of course Gérôme.
An odd story about the leader of the Ukrainian Cossacks and his youthful indiscretion becomes a poem by Byron, and finally burlesque titillation.
The Eclectic Light Company 