3-035-580 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Death of Virginia, about 1825-1828. Additional Info: The subject derives from Livy (The History of Rome, book III, 44-58). Daughter of the Roman centurion Lucius Virginius and a freed slave, Virginia was a reputed beauty. In 449 BC, one of the influential magistrates of the ruling decemvirate, Appius Claudius Sabinus, fatefully set his sights on her. When she refused him, he treacherously claimed her as a slave for his protégé, Marcus Claudius. Unable to oppose his scheme, Virginia’s father felt compelled to stab her to death rather than see her lose her freedom: a horrifying yet righteous killing in the patriarchal context of ancient Rome. Galvanized by this terrible event, the people rose up and brought about the downfall of the tyrannical decemvirate.