Study of a man brandishing a chain and study of an arm wielding a sword for The Destruction of Numantia
Ca. 1821. Charcoal, White chalk on prepared paper.Not on display
This drawing was used for the less-than-idealised figure of the warlord Megara, whose speech drove the Numantines to their own destruction; his appearance, once established, remained unchanged throughout the long creative process, which lasted several decades. Madrazo imagined the leader’s eloquent gesture: his right hand wields the unsheathed sword symbolising the self-annihilation pact, while his left brandishes the chains which are the only alternative to death.
