How does Scipio Africanus Freeing Massiva (painting) elucidate its abstract?
Scipio Africanus Freeing Massiva (alt. Scipio Liberating Massiva) is a painting depicting a scene from ancient Roman history by the Venetian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (alt. Giambattista Tiepolo), painted between 1719 and 1721. The painting depicts the Roman general Scipio Africanus after the 209 BCE Battle of Baecula in present-day Spain where he defeated the Carthaginians, capturing their Iberian and North African allies. The painting details the moment in which one of the captured Africans is brought before Scipio, who recognises him to be Massiva, the nephew of a chieftain of Eastern Numidia, Massinissa. Scipio reportedly frees Massiva, sending him home to his uncle laden with gifts and so winning Massinissa's loyalty for Rome.Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) was an Italian painter and etcher most famous for his decorative fresco cycles. Tiepolo joined the Venetian painters’ confraternity in 1717 at twenty one years of age. His patrons included such people as doge Giovanni II Cornaro, archbishop Dionisio Dolfin of Udine, the Swedish ambassador Count Carl Gustaf Tessin and Charles III of Spain. Tiepolo died in Madrid while working for Charles III and his work quickly went out of style. Tiepolo's works, especially his frescoes, were developed through a process of drawings and oil sketching and then finally he would work onto the wall where the fresco would be. Tiepolo's work was famous, and is still highly regarded today, for his responses to the light at the site where the painting was to the executed and how this affected his processes.
Carl Gustaf Tessin Scipio Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Carthaginians Rome Battle of Baecula Charles III of Spain etcher Scipio Africanus Giovanni II Cornaro fresco Massinissa Madrid