The first historical painting that Trumbull tried his hand at was “The Death of Paulus Aemilius at the Battle of Cannae.” Painted in 1773, Trumbull borrowed figures from several engravings and then pieced together this scene. This painting’s central figure is Roman Consul Paulus Aemilius, who was wounded and given the chance to escape on a horse. Instead, he chose to remain at the battle and fight to certain death.
JOHN TRUMBULL. THE DEATH OF PAULUS AEMILIUS AT THE BATTLE OF CANNAE. 1773. LEBANON, CONNECTICUT.
This tale of bravery and devotion to duty was inspiring to a young Trumbull and was a harbinger of his later historical works. Trumbull painted this piece while at home after Harvard and before the Revolution. Politics were intense and his father’s work kept him closely involved. Trumbull could not help but notice how the troubles of ancient civilizations and America’s troubles with England seemed, to his eye, to be closely aligned. Trumbull records, “I caught the growing enthusiasm; the character Brutus, of Paulus Aemilius, of the Scipio, were fresh in my remembrance, and their devoted patriotism always before my eyes.” This painting would be the first of many that Trumbull would paint from engravings coming from England. The American Revolution would interrupt Trumbull’s painting, but it would also give him the personal experience of war and history that would later inform his famous paintings at the Capitol Rotunda.
Cooper, Helen A., editor. John Trumbull: The Hand and Spirit of a Painter.
