Marcus Curtius

Francesco Bacchiacca painted this Marcus Curtius around 1519, depicting the Roman hero who leaped on horseback into the abyss that had opened in the Forum when the oracle declared it would only close if Rome sacrificed its greatest treasure. Curtius interpreted this as Rome's brave sons, and plunged into the chasm fully armed—a supreme act of selfless patriotism. The subject was a classical exemplum of civic virtue and self-sacrifice, and Bacchiacca's treatment reflects the Florentine humanist circle's enthusiasm for classical exempla of Roman heroism. His characteristic eclectic style—combining Florentine figure types with northern print-derived compositional ideas—gives the classical narrative an urgency and drama well-suited to the heroic action of the leaping rider.

The panel shows Bacchiacca's precise narrative technique with the detailed rendering, vivid action, and jewel-like color that distinguish his classical subjects.