Julius Caesar

Colin Nouailher

probably ca. 1541 · Painted enamel on copper, partly gilt · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This portrait of Julius Caesar is part of a series depicting the Nine Worthies, historical figures thought to embody the values of chivalry—from antiquity: Hector, Alexander, and Julius Caesar; from the Old Testament: Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus; and from the Middle Ages: King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godefroy de Bouillon. The Nine Worthies were first extolled as exemplars of the chivalric code by Jacques de Longuyon, in his romance Les Voeux du Paon (The Vows of the Peacock, ca. 1312), and thereafter became a popular subject in French literature and art.

Artist

Colin Nouailher

Date

probably ca. 1541

Medium

Painted enamel on copper, partly gilt

Culture

French, Limoges

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of V. Everit Macy, 1928