Oil on canvas.
The work takes up the fresco created by Pietro da Cortona on a wall of the Sala della Stufa of Palazzo Pitti, part of the cycle of the Four Ages of Man, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses.
The scenes from the Bronze and Iron Ages contrast the images of a civilized society with those of the violence carried out in times of war.
As Ovid says, during the Iron Age fraud and deception were born and men not only expected the earth to bear fruit, but also dug into its bowels.
Thus iron and gold came to light and the war began, and with it the acts of looting and violent plunder even to the detriment of the defenseless, such as the elderly, women and children.
In this scene, also called "Group of soldiers massacring civilians", dramatic scenes of violence and oppression are represented, such as the soldier in the foreground who is about to kill the defenseless old man on the ground or, on the right, the man who cuts off the hair of a young mother, to take her ornaments, despite her pleas.
The painting shows traces of previous minor restorations in ancient times.
Strip frame.
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PLATINUM Seller in Milano, Italy
