Death of a Roman Matron 1781 - 1835

"Death of a Roman Matron" is a pen and ink drawing created between 1781 and 1835 by Italian artist Bartolomeo Pinelli. The drawing, which is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, depicts a Roman matron accepting a cup of poison from a soldier. This scene, which is likely a historical depiction of an event or an imagined scene, exemplifies the dramatic use of line that was common in the neoclassical style of art.