Painful Homecoming

Where is the lord, my king (1888) by the British painter Herbert Gustave Carmichael Schmalz (1856-1935). Schmalz depicts here a band of celtic warriors returning from a raid where they lost their king.  They have to answer to his widow who is effectively waiting with her two children.

Sack of Rome

Genseric sacking Rome 455 (1833-1836) by the Russian painter Karl Pavlovich Briullov (1799-1852).

Despite Briullov is considered the most important Russian romantic painter the neoclassical influence is still very dominant here. Wilde barbaric hordes are sacking Rome the cradle of modern culture.

Besides the barbarian costumes are still very dilettantish indicating the poor state of historical research.

Classical Barbarians

The Death of Viriathus the chief of the Lusitanians (1807) by the Spanish painter José de Madrazo y Agudo (1781-1859).

Viriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian when they resisted Roman expansion into the regions of Western Hispania, today Portugal. Viriathus fought with great success against the Romans until he was betrayed to the Romans and killed in138 BC.

So it’s not astonishing that Viriathus was discovered in the 19th century by the patriots of Portugal and Spain as a kind of early national hero fighting foreign oppressors like Napoleon in their present days. But surprising is at least the fact that Madrazo depicted the barbarian chieftain and his followers as Greek or Romans. The whole painting resembles a lot the “Oath of the Horatii” (1784) by David. The explanation is that Madrazo was a pupil of David in Paris. And as the Lusitanians are looking like their Roman enemies, the Spanish patriot painted like his French adversaries.

Norse Mythology

The construction of a national identity is normally connected with a search for the own cultural roots. Especially in northern Europe and in Germany this led to a fascination for pre Christian Nordic mythology – Wagner is only the best known example.

In Norway Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831-1892) painted historical patriotic scenes and not least the recently rediscovered Nordic gods. Most famous he became for his big painting Åsgårdsreien (1872) which pretended to show Odin’s Wild Hunt.

Because of the barbarian subject and the obscure scenery it’s still very popular serving as a kind of pre-fantasy-painting. For example it was used as cover for the album Blood Fire Death by the Swedish band Bathory.

But at a little closer look there remains not much of that pretended reanimation of Nordic traditions. The whole composition and most of the figures derive from baroque ceiling paintings. There is nothing barbarian in it, there is nothing “Nordic”, there are the same Olympic gods hunting some naked puttis or nymphs.

The thing is even more obvious regarding Arbo’s painting Valkyrien (1865).

The cruel Nordic war spirit looks neither warlike nor awesome, it’s at last a rosy baroque angel or allegory. It’s ridiculous.

Hunnic Raiders

Hunnic raiders pillaging a Roman villa by the French painter Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938).

Despite being a good painter Rochegrosse earned probably the most money with the prints of his paintings which were very popular as illustrations in books and journals. Here he depicted with a lot of interesting details how a Hunnic raiding party pillaged a Roman villa probably in France. The strange scythe-like lances or the fur hats are pure invention but still nice.

Archaic Cruelty

The French painter Evariste Vital Luminais (1821-1896) who preferred subjects from the barbarian period of French history depicted here a scene from the Merovingian period.

The tortured sons of Clovis (1880)

When in the absence of their father the two sons of Clovis II rebelled, their mother Bathilde had their tendons cut and sent them immobilised down the Seine where they finally reached a Benedictine monastery.

The appealing of the painting is the strong contrast between the peaceful river scene and the cruel story which is indicated by the wounded feet and the dead like bodies.

Nordic Goddesses

At the end of the 19th century Nordic mythology became more and more fashionable. For one part this was because the European nations were looking for their own cultural roots. But a much bigger influence had the operas of Richard Wagner. Nordic heroes, gods and Valkyries seemed more interesting than the Greek Olympians.

The Valkyrie's Vigil (1906) by the British painter Arthur Hughes (1831–1915).

Frigg Spinning (1909) by the British painter John Charles Dollman (1851-1934).

Despite both artists pretended to paint Nordic goddesses they continue depicting girls in the typical classical costumes. A winged helmet alone doesn’t make a Valkyrie. Moreover you should know that in their origin Valkyries were a kind of bloodthirsty demons. These painters wanted to be wild, but not too much.

Barbarian Ancestors

Rome was the ideal pattern for Empires and because of that there was mostly a close relation in France between French - i.e. Napoleonic history - and ancient Rome. So the French needed much more time to discover their sympathies for their barbarian ancestors than their German neighbors.

That changed with the French defeat 1871 and the end of the Empire of Napoleon III. Also in France now appeared paintings with fierce barbarian warriors as symbols of natural, national power.

Some of the best of this kind of paintings were from the French painter Joseph-Noël Sylvestre (1847-1926). It’s clear that he is totally with the barbarians, who are cutting the Romans to pieces.

The Gaul Ducar decapitates the roman general Flaminius in the battle of Lake Trasimeno (1882)

The sack of Rome by the barbarians 410 (1890)

Celtic Heroes

With growing nationalism for many European nations came the interest in their barbarian past. A good example is the French painter Evariste Vital Luminais (1821-1896), who had success with Merovingian, Viking and above all Celtic warriors.

Nothing about the great defeats. Here he is showing how the Celts are plundering Italy. In the background is decoratively burning a temple (though I doubt that temples will burn like this).

The booty consists once more in beautiful women - good old 19th century fashion!

Viking Raids

The interest for their barbarian past awakend relatively late in the europeans. First artists were interested in greeks and romans. And when they painted barbarians, they painted them like romans in costumes.
But at the end of the 19th century there were a raising interest in nordic and celtic warriors.
Here two examples.
The first is by the british painter Edward Matthew Hale (1852-1924) and is called "After the Raid" (1892). It shows viking raiders with their human booty.
The second is by the french painterEvariste Vital Luminais (1821-1896) and is called "Norman Pirates" (1897). The subject is similar.

Shure that the vikings were interested in beautiful women and rape was a common practice. But we dont think that the booty were always naked. This is without question a concession to the art market of the 19th century (more about nude-painting in that time).
The naked booty is for the art-buyer not for the viking!!