Roman Charity
Encyclopedia
Roman Charity is the exemplary story of a daughter, Pero, who secretly breastfeeds
her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation. She is found out by a jailer, but her act of selflessness impresses officials and wins her father's release.
The story is recorded in Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans (De Factis Dictisque Memorabilibus Libri IX) by the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus
, and was presented as a great act of filial piety
and Roman honour. A painting in the Temple of Pietas
depicted the scene. Among Romans, the theme had mythological echoes in Juno
's breastfeeding of the adult Hercules
, an Etruscan myth
.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many famous European artists depicted the scene. Most outstandingly, Peter Paul Rubens painted several versions. Baroque artist Caravaggio
also featured the deed (among others) in his work from 1606, The Seven Works of Mercy
. Neoclassical
depictions tended to be more subdued.
In Jan Vermeer's famous painting The Music Lesson
, in the back can be seen a painting of the Roman Charity, consistent with his habit of putting paintings within paintings.
For a 20th century fictional account of Roman Charity, see John Steinbeck
's The Grapes of Wrath
(1939). At the end of the novel, Rosasharn (Rose of Sharon) nurses a sick and starving man in the corner of a barn.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation. She is found out by a jailer, but her act of selflessness impresses officials and wins her father's release.
The story is recorded in Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans (De Factis Dictisque Memorabilibus Libri IX) by the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He worked during the reign of Tiberius .-Biography:...
, and was presented as a great act of filial piety
Filial piety
In Confucian ideals, filial piety is one of the virtues to be held above all else: a respect for the parents and ancestors. The Confucian classic Xiao Jing or Classic of Xiào, thought to be written around 470 BCE, has historically been the authoritative source on the Confucian tenet of xiào /...
and Roman honour. A painting in the Temple of Pietas
Pietas (goddess)
In Roman mythology, Pietas was the goddess of duty to one's state, gods and family and a personification of the Roman virtue of pietas. One of the di indigetes, her main temple was a 2nd century BC one in the Forum Holitorium....
depicted the scene. Among Romans, the theme had mythological echoes in Juno
Juno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
's breastfeeding of the adult Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, an Etruscan myth
Etruscan mythology
The Etruscans were a diachronically continuous population, with a distinct language and culture during the period of earliest European writing, in the Mediterranean Iron Age in the second half of the first millennium BC...
.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many famous European artists depicted the scene. Most outstandingly, Peter Paul Rubens painted several versions. Baroque artist Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
also featured the deed (among others) in his work from 1606, The Seven Works of Mercy
The Seven Works of Mercy (Caravaggio)
The Seven Works of Mercy , also known as The Seven Acts of Mercy, is an oil painting by Italian painter Caravaggio, circa 1607. It is housed in the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples...
. Neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
depictions tended to be more subdued.
In Jan Vermeer's famous painting The Music Lesson
The Music Lesson
The Music Lesson or Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman by Johannes Vermeer, also known as Jan Vermeer, is a painting of young female pupil receiving the titular music lesson. It has been estimated to have been painted between 1662 and 1665. The medium of the work is oil on canvas...
, in the back can be seen a painting of the Roman Charity, consistent with his habit of putting paintings within paintings.
For a 20th century fictional account of Roman Charity, see John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
(1939). At the end of the novel, Rosasharn (Rose of Sharon) nurses a sick and starving man in the corner of a barn.
External links
- Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans, in Latin
- "The Female Breast as a Source of Charity: Artistic Depictions of Caritas Romana", an essay by Golda Balass, a lecturer in the Department of Art History at Tel Aviv University
- Stargate Libraries Gallery