Ides of March,
oil on canvas, 129 x 164.5 cm, framed

THIS LOT IS PART OF THE RIMPAU-LANGENSTEIN COLLECTION
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Provenance:
Collection of Maria Antonia Pessina de Branconi (1746–1793), Langenstein Castle;
thence by descent to her son Antonio Francesco Salvatore Pessina de Branconi (1762–1828), Langenstein Castle;
1829 sold to Johann Heinrich von Reinicke (1791–1854), as part of the property of Langenstein Castle;
1855 sold to August Wilhelm Rimpau (1814–1892), as part of the property of Langenstein Castle;
thence by descent;
September 1945 the Soviet occupying power expropriated Langenstein Castle and transferred the art collection to the collecting point at Moritzburg Castle/Halle in 1946;
inv. no. 1051 (1957);
restituted to the Rimpau family in 2005

The Ides of March, known as the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, holds historical significance due to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. The phrase 'Beware the Ides of March' comes from William Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar,' where a soothsayer warns Caesar of impending danger. On that very day Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators, including his friend Brutus. The event marked a turning point in Roman history, eventually leading to the rise of the Roman Empire.