Modellino for The Destruction of Numantia
Ca. 1807. Wash, Pencil ground, White lead, Pencil, Charcoal on paper.Not on display
The story of Numantia was revived by Spanish culture in the early 19th century as part of the fledgling nationalist narrative. Rather than surrender to the Roman invaders, the inhabitants of this Celtiberian city chose to kill themselves so that none would live subject to enemy rule. José de Madrazo’s picture was intended as a companion-piece to The Death of Viriatus, and the evolution of the final monumental canvas, now in the Museo del Prado, can be traced through this and other preparatory drawings also held by the museum; it vividly reflects the survival of the iconography associated with the citizens’ pact, even though here the result is destructive and suicidal.
