Box with scene depicting Roman hero Gaius Mucius Scaevola before the Etruscan king Lars Porsena 1741

This golden box, made around the first half of the 18th century by the artist known as P R, depicts the Roman hero Gaius Mucius Scaevola's defiant act before the Etruscan king Lars Porsena. During the 1700s, Europe's elite became increasingly interested in Classical art. The images and stories of ancient Greece and Rome offered moral lessons as well as elegant models for paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects. The box depicts a story of bravery and self-sacrifice that would have been familiar to those elites. The choice of this scene, rendered in precious gold, speaks to the cultural values of the time. To better understand the box, one might research the education of wealthy Europeans in the 18th century, examining how they were taught to emulate the virtues of the heroes of the past. The study of such objects helps us to understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped the art and ideas of the period.