The Great Gallery
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753–264 BC

Founding of Rome & the Early Republic

Rome began, so the legend goes, when twin brothers Romulus and Remus, raised by a wolf, founded a city on seven hills in 753 BC. After the last king was thrown out, Rome became a Republic run by elected leaders. Stories of heroic early Romans taught later generations what it meant to be a good citizen.

Why artists painted it

In the 1700s, painters like David and Poussin used these Roman tales to show duty, sacrifice and loyalty to your country. The pictures were also political: they said the people, not a king, should rule.

The Oath of the Horatii The Oath of the Horatii · Jacques-Louis David, 1784

9 artworks about this moment

The Oath of the Horatii The Oath of the Horatii Jacques-Louis David · 1784 🕰️ Painted about 2,050 years later Three brothers swear to fight for Rome, while the women weep. David used this legend of early Roman duty to say that citizens must put their country first. The Intervention of the Sabine Women The Intervention of the Sabine Women Jacques-Louis David · 1799 🕰️ Painted about 2,060 years later The Sabine women throw themselves between the armies of their husbands and their fathers to stop the fighting. The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons Jacques-Louis David · 1789 🕰️ Painted about 2,050 years later Brutus, who helped found the Roman Republic, has condemned his own sons for plotting to bring back the king. Romulus and Remus Romulus and Remus Peter Paul Rubens · 1615 🕰️ Painted about 1,880 years later According to Roman legend, the twin babies Romulus and Remus were left by a river and fed by a she-wolf until a shepherd found them. Horatius Cocles Defending the Bridge Horatius Cocles Defending the Bridge Charles Le Brun · 1643 🕰️ Painted about 1,910 years later The legendary Roman soldier Horatius Cocles holds a bridge alone against an enemy army while his friends chop it down behind him. Cincinnatus Leaves the Plow to Dictate Laws to Rome Cincinnatus Leaves the Plow to Dictate Laws to Rome Juan Antonio de Ribera · 1806 🕰️ Painted about 2,070 years later The Roman farmer Cincinnatus is called from his field in 458 BC and made dictator to save the city, then gives up power after only a few days and goes back to his farm. Coriolanus at the Gates of Rome Coriolanus at the Gates of Rome Franz Anton Maulbertsch · 1795 🕰️ Painted about 2,060 years later The Roman general Coriolanus, exiled by his own city, marches on Rome with an enemy army, but his mother and wife beg him to stop and he turns back. The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife Nicolas Mignard · 1654 🕰️ Painted about 1,920 years later The shepherd Faustulus brings the two baby twins, found beside the wolf, home to his wife to raise. Romulus and Remus Sheltered by Faustulus Romulus and Remus Sheltered by Faustulus Pietro da Cortona · 1643 🕰️ Painted about 1,910 years later A shepherd family takes in the twin babies who will one day found Rome, in a calm, sunlit scene full of warm colors.