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The story depicted in this painting is related by Livy in The War with Hannibal: The History of Rome from its Foundations. After bringing the African War to a close, Hamilcar, commander of Carthage during their defeat to Rome in the First Punic War, was offering sacrifices before transporting his army to Spain, the boy Hannibal, nine years old, was coaxing his father to take him with him, and his father led him up to the altar and made him swear with his hand laid on the victim that as soon as he possibly could he would show himself the enemy of Rome.
This is the scene which Pellegrini has depicted, and he has opted to almost fill the composition with his figures, which focuses attention to the emotional relationship between father and son. A notable feature of the painting, showing the influence of Sebastiano Ricci and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, is the rich and vivid colouring used by Pellegrini.
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