Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae
Jean-Germain Drouais, 1786
The old general Gaius Marius, a prisoner, glares at the Cimbrian soldier sent to kill him. The man drops his sword, unable to do it.
About this work
Jean-Germain Drouais painted Marius at Minturnae in Rome in 1786, while studying there after winning the Prix de Rome in 1784. The story comes from Plutarch's Life of Marius. In 88 BC the old general Gaius Marius, six times consul, fled Rome after his rival Sulla seized the city, and was captured hiding in a marsh near Minturnae, south of Rome. The town's magistrates decided to put him to death, but no citizen would do it, so a horseman, "either a Gaul or a Cimbrian", went into the dark room with a sword. Plutarch says the soldier saw Marius's eyes flash and heard a voice ask, "Man, does thou dare to slay Caius Marius?" He threw down his sword and ran out, crying that he could not kill Marius. Drouais shows that moment: the general seated, pointing at the soldier, who hides his face in his cloak as he turns to go. Drouais was one of the earliest and most promising pupils of Jacques-Louis David, and the painting draws on David's Oath of the Horatii. Goethe, in Rome when it was finished, thought it in some respects superior to David's own work. Drouais died in Rome in 1788, aged 24. The Louvre acquired the painting in 1816.
Sources: Wikipedia · Plutarch, Life of Marius (LacusCurtius) · Wikipedia: Jean Germain Drouais
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 7,927 × 5,751 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 52 × 38 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 15 in) · $100 · 383 ppi
Medium (24 × 17 in) · $150 · 330 ppi
Large (36 × 26 in) · $300 · 220 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae?
Here. Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 15 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 17 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 26 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae?
The file is 7,927 × 5,751 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 26 in) prints at 220 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 26 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 15 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae?
Yes. Marius Imprisoned at Minturnae is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
