Framed oil painting original artwork for The Eternal City
Date made: 1894
Description: Framed oil painting, the original cover artwork for Hall Caine's book The Eternal City, which was published in 1901. It shows a woman dressed in black, kneeling before the Pope, the basilica of St Peter's visible in the background. This is likely to be from the 1924 uniform edition of the book, as this and four others appear to be a set.
The story begins in Rome in 1900, at the jubilee celebrations of the fictional Pope Pius X, at the height of the dispute between the Vatican and the Italian state on the temporal power of the Church. David Rossi, a socialist and republican is accused of conspiring to assassinate the Italian king. He opposes Baron Bonelli, a corrupt prime minister. Bonelli tries to prevent the culmination of the love story between his mistress Donna Roma Volonna and Rossi.
Materials: paper
Object name: painting
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 2023-0028
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