The Discovery of Belisarius among ancient ruins.

The Discovery of Belisarius Among Ancient Ruins depicts the legendary moment when the great Byzantine general Belisarius — who according to a popular (though historically dubious) story was blinded and reduced to begging by Emperor Justinian — is discovered among the ruins of Rome. The story of Belisarius had powerful resonance in the eighteenth century as an image of great service unrewarded and virtue destroyed by power. Panini's 1725 treatment of this subject is unusual in his predominantly architectural output, combining his mastery of Roman ruins with a narrative from late antique history. The subject anticipates the Neoclassical vogue for images of Belisarius that would dominate European painting in the 1770s and 1780s.

Oil on canvas, with the ruins serving as both architectural setting and symbolic context for the narrative subject. The compositional challenge was to balance the human drama of the discovery with Panini's primary concern for architectural rendering. Figures are integrated into the ruin setting rather than foregrounded as in conventional history painting.