MANTEGNA, Andrea
(b. 1431, Isola di Carturo, d. 1506, Mantova)

Triumphs of Caesar (scene 9)

1485-95
Tempera on canvas, 267 x 278 cm
Royal Collection, Hampton Court

This scene shows Julius Caesar in the triumphal chariot. The triumph of the emperor, who sits like a god in his triumphal chariot, is heralded and lauded - as shown by the presence of putti, which appear only in this painting, the laurel wreath with which Caesar is about to be crowned, the sculptures of conquered warriors on the triumphal arch, and the images of the gods.