The Late Empire: Honorius
Artist
Jean-Paul Laurens
(French, 1838-1921)
Date1880
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall, Image: 60 1/2 x 42 1/2 in. (153.7 x 108 cm)
Overall, Frame (Inner frame): 61 3/8 × 43 3/16 × 1 7/16 in. (155.9 × 109.7 × 3.7 cm)
Overall, Frame (Outer frame): 63 3/4 × 45 3/4 × 3 in. (161.9 × 116.2 × 7.6 cm)
Overall, Frame (Inner frame): 61 3/8 × 43 3/16 × 1 7/16 in. (155.9 × 109.7 × 3.7 cm)
Overall, Frame (Outer frame): 63 3/4 × 45 3/4 × 3 in. (161.9 × 116.2 × 7.6 cm)
ClassificationsEuropean art
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.671
Terms
- Roman Empire
- Boy
- History
- Red
- Gold
- Black
- Academic
Collections
On View
Not on viewLabel TextJean-Paul Laurens French, 1838–1921 The Late Empire: Honorius, 1880 Oil on canvas Many 19th-century artists depicted the decline and fall of ancient Rome as a parable of moral and political decay. Such is the case with Jean-Paul Laurens’ vivid portrayal of the boy-emperor Honorius Flavius (384-423). Crowned as leader of the crumbling empire at age 11, he appears here as a helpless innocent—as overwhelmed by his throne and regalia as by the forces of history. A mere child, his feet don’t even reach the floor. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.671
