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This picture was part of a classical-style frieze made for Francesco Cornaro, a Venetian nobleman, in celebration of his ancestors, the ancient Roman Cornelia family. Mantegna painted the figures to look as though they are carved from stone, not painted, and set against colourful marble. In 204 BC the Romans introduced the goddess Cybele to the city for worship. On the far left we see the goddess – she is represented by the spherical stone on the litter. According to the Roman writer Juvenal, she fell to earth as a meteor. Mantegna has included a sculpted bust of Cybele beside it. Cornaro’s ancestor Publius Scipio Cornelius Nasica was chosen – as the worthiest man in Rome – to officially receive the goddess. Mantegna planned and prepared another four canvases, but completed only this one before his death in 1506.
Title
The Introduction of the Cult of Cybele at Rome
Date
1505-6
Medium
Glue on linen
Measurements
H 76.5 x W 273 cm
Accession number
NG902
Acquisition method
Bought, 1873
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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