Jan 19
Ovid among the Scythians
Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798-1863)
Date: 1859
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Description
In AD 8 the Roman poet Ovid, author of the poem Metamorphoses, was banished for life by the Emperor Augustus to the port of Tomis on the coast of the Black Sea. At that time, this region was inhabited by the Scythians, nomadic warrior-tribes who originally came from the area now known as southern Siberia. Delacroix depicts the kindness shown to Ovid, wearing a blue toga, by a group of Scythians, who offer him food and milk, while others look on.
#history painting#poet ovid#art and literature#narrative art#landscape#horse#dog#port of tomis#the black sea#the scythians#warrior tribes#southern siberia#male figures#female figures#costume#blue toga#mountains#painting#oil on canvas#fine art#oil painting#french culture#french art#artwork#french painter#european art#19th century painting#the national gallery - london#roman poet