The Death of Britannicus

The Death of Britannicus

Alexandre Denis Abel de Pujol

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This is the only known full composition study for Abel de Pujol’s first major success at the Salon, "The Death of Britannicus," for which he won a first-class medal in 1814. The painter drew upon the tragedy from Roman history as recounted by Jean Racine in 1669. At center, Agrippina strides forward pointing at her son Nero, accusing him of poisoning Britannicus, whose collapsed body appears highlighted in white on the left. The planar composition, strong light effects, and voluminous drapery enhance the theatricality of the scene.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.