Roman Consul Refusing Gifts
Artist
Ferdinand Bol
(Dutch, 1616–1680)
Datemid 17th century
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 89.5 x 83.8 cm (35 1/4 x 33 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineCharlotte E.W. Buffington Fund
Object number1961.39
Label TextBol was born in Dordrecht, but lived most of his life in Amsterdam. He was a pupil of Rembrandt in the 1630s, and his early work is strongly influenced by the master. He apparently abandoned his painting career after his marriage to a wealthy widow in 1669.
The subject of this painting is not entirely clear. It was formerly thought to be a sketch for a large painting in The Hague, Joseph's Cup Found in Benjamin's Sack, but many features of the scene are inconsistent with that identification. A more probable identification is The Incorruptibility of Caius Fabricius. The Roman general and consul Caius Fabricius is remembered as a model of integrity in public service for having refused the bribes of an enemy ruler. Bol painted three versions of another scene from Fabricius's career in which the main figure resembles the black-bearded warrior seen here. Episodes from Fabricius's life were considered appropriate subjects for the decoration of municipal buildings in Bol's time, and it is possible that this painting is a sketch for such a commission, which was never executed.ProvenanceCollection H. D. Molesworth, London, by 1955; on loan(?) from the former to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1955; P. de Boer (art dealer), Amsterdam, by 1959; purchased by the museum from P. de Boer, Amsterdam, and Frederick Mont, Inc., New York, NY, 1961.On View
On view
