Modellino for The Death of Viriatus, Chief of the Lusitanians
1807. Wash, Grey-brown ink, Pencil ground, White lead, Pencil on laid paper.Not on display
The composition, interpreted by José de Madrazo on his return to Spain from Rome as an exercise in defence of nationalism, captures the moment when the Lusitanians come upon the body of their leader Viriatus, murdered in his tent by some of his generals in the pay of Rome. As in the final painting, also in the Prado, some mourn their loss, others fear for their own future, but two of them – their swords unsheathed – swear vengeance. In a departure from David’s views, the Roman Empire is here presented as the epitome of political iniquity, contrasting with the tenacity of the pre-Roman powers, who embody righteous resistance.
