The Death of Virginia

As copies of the two larger canvases displayed at Capodimonte, these small paintings depict two episodes of Republican Rome: the death of Virginia, and the death of Caesar. Virginia was stabbed by Appio Claudio, and Caesar was assassinated by Brutus. The fast and immediate brush strokes, inserted into a studied architectural system, is characterized by a strong design component and solemn theatrical gestures of neoclassical art. Camuccini was one of Italy’s great proponents of the neoclassical style.