Mary Beard, TLS, August 2016:
"...For me, the unsettling star of Lust and Crime was a huge painting by the Russian artist, Vasily Smirnov (1858–90) depicting the aftermath of the death of Nero himself – forced to what was always said to be a rather cowardly suicide after some key legions rebelled. It is a wonderful encapsulation not just of death but also of the loss of power: the corpse of Nero lies alone on a bare floor in what is obviously an empty palace, with just three loyal women appearing in the background to take him for burial, all other attendants, soldiers, and trappings of empire gone. The only decoration, tucked away to one side, is the famous ancient statue of a small child either playing with a goose, or else strangling it (the toddler’s intentions are impossible to gauge). The message is clear: the man lying lifeless centre stage had governed Rome with no more responsibility than a small boy..."
Artist: Vasily Smirnov, 1888
"...For me, the unsettling star of Lust and Crime was a huge painting by the Russian artist, Vasily Smirnov (1858–90) depicting the aftermath of the death of Nero himself – forced to what was always said to be a rather cowardly suicide after some key legions rebelled. It is a wonderful encapsulation not just of death but also of the loss of power: the corpse of Nero lies alone on a bare floor in what is obviously an empty palace, with just three loyal women appearing in the background to take him for burial, all other attendants, soldiers, and trappings of empire gone. The only decoration, tucked away to one side, is the famous ancient statue of a small child either playing with a goose, or else strangling it (the toddler’s intentions are impossible to gauge). The message is clear: the man lying lifeless centre stage had governed Rome with no more responsibility than a small boy..."
Artist: Vasily Smirnov, 1888