Scene from the Wedding of Messalina and Gaius Sillius
Summary
The promiscuous Messalina, the bare-breasted woman in the centre, was the wife of Emperor Claudius. She committed adultery by marrying Sillius and they organized an inordinately lavish banquet to celebrate their wedding. The group peering out the window is on to something; Emperor Claudius is approaching the palace to put an end to the infidelity, drinking and merrymaking. Messalina’s frenzied greed ultimately
led to her downfall.
Tags
Date
1645 - 1655
Source
Rijksmuseum
Copyright info
Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication")