Description: NERO AT THE BURNING OF ROME Artist: S. J. Ferris Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar), ? 37-? 68, Roman emperor (? 54-? 68). He was originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and was the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul in A.D. 32) and of Agrippina the Younger, who was the great-granddaughter of Augustus. Agrippina married (A.D. 49) Claudius I and persuaded him to adopt Nero. In A.D. 55, Agrippina saw the bonds of her domination of Nero loosening and intrigued in favor of Claudius' son, Britannicus, but Nero poisoned the boy. Poppaea Sabina, the wife of his friend Otho, became his mistress; according to rumor she was to blame for the worst of Nero's behavior. In A.D. 59 he murdered his mother and in A.D. 62, his wife Octavia. He later married Poppaea. When half of Rome was burned in a fire (A.D. 64), Nero accused the Christians of starting it and began the first Roman persecution. In A.D. 65 there was a plot to make Caius Calpurnius Piso emperor. The detection of this plot began a string of violent deaths, e.g., of Seneca, Lucan, and Thrasea Paetus. Nero had ambitions to be a poet and artist. In A.D. 68 a series of revolts, including one by his own Praetorian Guard, caused him to commit suicide. Among his last words were, "What an artist the world is losing in me!" His memory was publicly execrated. The great fire that ravaged Rome in 64 illustrates how low Nero's reputation had sunk by this time. Taking advantage of the fire's destruction, Nero had the city reconstructed in the Greek style and began building a prodigious palace--the Golden House--which, had it been finished, would have covered a third of Rome. During the fire Nero was at his villa at Antium 35 miles (56 km) from Rome and therefore cannot be held responsible for the burning of the city. But the Roman populace mistakenly believed that he himself had started the fire in Rome in order to indulge his aesthetic tastes in the city's subsequent reconstruction. According to the Annals of the Roman historian Tacitus and to the Nero of the Roman biographer Suetonius, Nero in response tried to shift responsibility for the fire on the Christians, who were popularly thought to engage in many wicked practices. Hitherto the government had not clearly distinguished Christians from Jews; almost by accident, Nero initiated the later Roman policy of halfhearted persecution of the Christians, in the process earning himself the reputation of Antichrist in the Christian tradition. PRINT DATE: This tinted photogravure was printed in 1895; it is not a modern reproduction in any way. PRINT SIZE: Overall print size is 6 x 8 1/2inches including borders. Actual scene size is 4 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches. PRINT CONDITION: Condition is as shown in this detailed picture of the print. Blank on reverse. SHIPPING: Buyer to pay shipping, domestic orders receive priority mail, international orders receive regular air mail unless otherwise asked for. We take a variety of payment options. Full payment details will be in our email after auction close. We pack properly to protect your item! PRINT DESCRIPTION : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx A FAMOUS PERSON FROM HISTORY, IN A KEY SCENE FROM THEIR LIFE!
Price: 9.99 USD
Location: New Providence, New Jersey
End Time: 2025-02-06T16:48:34.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Original/Reproduction: Original Print
Print Type: Lithograph
Subject: Military & Political
Size Type/Largest Dimension: Medium (Up to 30in.)
Date of Creation: 1800-1899
Type: Print
