In The Death of Germanicus, how is the Sources of inspiration of the Description elucidated?
The general composition of the painting could have been borrowed from the Death of Meleager, represented on several ancient Roman sarcophagi present in Rome at the time of Poussin. A copy is kept in the Vatican Museums, another in the Capitoline Museums and yet another, currently in Wilton House but present in Rome at the beginning of the 17th century. The figure of Agrippina recalls the personifications of vanquished nations in Roman representations, such as vanquished Judea (judea capta)In addition to ancient influences, he also uses motifs present in the painting of his time or slightly earlier: the soldier represented on the far left is a revival of the one represented on the extreme right of the Crusaders in front of Jerusalem by Ambroise Dubois (castle de Fontainebleau). It also uses the curtain from The Last Supper by Frans Pourbus the Younger (Musée du Louvre). Poussin's painting also seems to be inspired by The Death of Constantine, taken from a series of tapestries on the Life of Constantine from cartoons by Peter Paul Rubens, offered in 1625 by Louis XIII to Francesco Barberini.
Musée du Louvre Peter Paul Rubens France Rome Frans Pourbus the Younger Francesco Barberini Louvre Louis XIII