Artwork :: John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779)

John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779) Manius Curius Dentatus rejecting the Bribes of the Samnites c.1763

Artist: John Hamilton Mortimer (All)

2 Comments - 171 Views - 1 Like

John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779) Manius Curius Dentatus rejecting the Bribes of the Samnites c.1763 Comic Art

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Additional Images:

Dentatus rejecting the treasure close up

Hamilton's engraving that was published on 1st. of March 1763

Artwork Details

Title:	John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779) Manius Curius Dentatus rejecting the Bribes of the Samnites c.1763
Artist:	John Hamilton Mortimer (All)
Media Type:	Paint - Oil
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	171
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	9/6/2023
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Artist: John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779)
This oil on canvas is believed to be by John Hamilton Mortimer; Hamilton did the drawings of the Duke of Devonshire�s �Manius Curius Dentatus� painting for the engraving that was published on 1st. of March 1763.
Title: ' Manius Curius Dentatus rejecting the Bribes of the Samnites�, c.1763
Medium: Oil on canvas
Image size: 380 x 500mm
Signed: No
Notes: The original �Cortona� - �Manius Curius Dentatus� painting was in the Collection of his Grace the Duke of Devonshire. In the 1760s prints were done of drawings by John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-79) after 17th century paintings in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire, the others being Cignani's 'Charity' and Poussin's 'The Shepherds in Arcadia'. They were published in John Boydell's ''The Most Capital Paintings in England'', a five-volume series published between 1769 and 1786. The series was a critical and financial success, establishing a tradition in Britain for collecting prints.
[Anthony Walker (print maker), John Hamilton Mortimer (after drawing by), Pietro da Cortona (after painting by)]

The original Lazzaro Baldi/ Pietro da Cortona painting is the same size as the engraving, but the engraving has a border and text enlarging it to 430 x 535mm.

Text on the engraving:
�Marcus Curius Dentatus rejecting the Bribes of the Samnites. From the Original Picture of the same Size, painted by Pietro da Cortona, in the Collection of his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, to Whom this Plate is most humnbly inscribed, By His Graces most Obliged and most devoted Servant. J.Boydell.
J. Mortimer delin.t. Anth,y Walker Sculpsit.
Publish'd according to Act of Parliament 1st. of March 1763, by J. Boydell Engraver, in Cheapside, London.�
Engraving. 535 x 430mm (21 x 17"), uncut sheet.

The scene:
An interior scene, with Samnite ambassadors entering to find Manius Curius Dentatus, (d. 270 BC), sitting by the hearth roasting turnips. When offered their armfuls of treasure Dentatus, a Plebian famous for being incorruptible, refused, stating that he preferred to rule the possessors of gold rather than possessing it himself. As consul in 290BC Danatus ended the Samnite War, celebrating with a triumph.

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About the Owner

	Steel Shredder
Joined:	March 2022
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED KINGDOM
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Comments on this Artwork

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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 9/7/2023

Very nice depiction of history to represent and teach the morals they promoted in the artist's time period. Usually done by the artist as an commentary on what society was lacking.

Steel Shredder
Member Since 2022

1 - Posted on 9/7/2023

Marcus Wai wrote:

Very nice depiction of history to represent�and teach the morals they promoted in the artist's time period.� Usually done by the artist as an commentary on what society was lacking.

Yes it is. It is a shame that modern politicians and people in power were not like Dentatus, incorruptible!

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