(Florence 1555–1630 Rome)
The Roman Emperor Galba, on horseback,
oil on canvas, 219 x 152, 5 cm, unframed

The present painting is related to the twelve engravings of Roman emperors created by Antonio Tempesta (The Illustrated Bartsch, 35, 602[146]). Tempesta was a Roman painter, also renowned as a copperplate engraver, whose work served as a model for other artists even during his own lifetime. This series of twelve emperors recalls a famous predecessor in the Camerino dei Cesari at the Appartmento di Troia in Mantua, created by Giulio Romano between 1536 and 1539 for Federico II. Gonzaga, before Charles V. made him a duke in 1530. The cycle, destroyed in the 17th century, not only encompassed Giulio Romano’s histories of emperors and mounted emperors, but also a number of portraits of Roman emperors by Titian, works that have sadly not been preserved.

Historical interest and a striving for monumentality, combined with a naturalist rendering of physiognomy and posture are typical of Gonzaga patron preferences, and can be found in both Tempesta’s engravings as well as the present painting. The painting is not merely a variation of the engraving: the emperor is depicted in majestic pose surveying a landscape of stormy skies, the splendid horse turns towards the viewer impetuously. The horse’s legs show several pentimenti.

Additional picture
Antonio Tempesta, Equestrian portrait of Roman Emperor Galba, The Illustrated Bartsch, 35, no. 602 (146)

The present painting is related to twelve engravings of Roman emperors created by Antonio Tempesta (The Illustrated Bartsch, 35, 602[146]), a Roman painter who was also renowned as a copperplate engraver and whose work served as a model for other artists