Torre di Schiavi
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Accession Number
1977.52
Tags
Torre di SchiavitowerruinsFigureItalyAppenine Mountains
About this artwork
The landscape where this herdsman sleeps recalls a distant time and place. Thomas Hotchkiss heightened the mystery of this ancient site by including a mosaic of a winged boy on a dolphin from a recently excavated Roman bath as well as a skull and bones in the shadows at the far left. The Torre di Schiavi, or Tower of Slaves, was a popular subject for American artists visiting Italy. The site was associated with an uprising of Roman slaves, an event that would have been particularly meaningful fo...