Study of man with torch and sword for The Destruction of Numantia
Ca. 1821. Charcoal, White chalk on prepared paper.Not on display
The Numantines’ response to Megara was closely studied by Madrazo in over two dozen distinctive drawings, many of which were made as early as 1821, when – fired by the political changes taking place in Spain – he decided to take up the painting that had been left unfinished in Rome. The positioning of this Numantine, like that of his leader, testifies to the dependence of the suicides on the iconography of the oaths, thus highlighting the political intention underpinning the composition.
