Pietro Rossi prisonner of the Scaligeri

Francesco Hayez painted Pietro Rossi, Prisoner of the Scaligeri around 1820, one of his earliest major historical subjects depicting a medieval Italian political prisoner — Pietro Rossi, held captive by the della Scala lords of Verona — as a figure of noble suffering and constrained dignity. The subject was perfectly calculated for its Risorgimento resonance: the imprisoned Italian noble, his dignity unbroken despite his physical confinement, was transparently an allegory of Austrian-occupied Italy's situation. Hayez's ability to charge historical subjects with this kind of contemporary political meaning through allegory rather than direct statement was his most significant contribution to Italian Romantic painting.

Hayez employs a theatrical composition with strong chiaroscuro lighting to heighten the dramatic tension. The careful rendering of medieval costume and architecture reflects his academic training in Venice and Rome.