The Finding of Romulus and Remus

Peter Paul Rubens
c. 1612
Oil on Canvas

Romulus and Remus by Peter Paul Rubens
The Finding of Romulus and Remus by Peter Paul Rubens, 1612. Musei Capitolini, Rome.
Public domain image, Wikipedia Commons.

Rubens placed all of the following elements of the story in his painting:

  • Faustulus
  • Rhea Silvia
  • Romulus and Remus
  • She-wolf
  • Woodpecker
  • River god Tiberinus with his urn of water
  • Fig tree

The tree in the painting is supposed to be the Ficus Ruminalis, a wild fig tree that had religious and mythological significance in ancient Rome. It supposedly grew at the foot of the Palatine Hill in the exact spot where the floating cradle of Romulus and Remus landed on the banks of the river Tiber.

This painting is located in the Hall of St. Petronilla in the Musei Capitolini in Rome. You can see a video tour of the hall in the video below. 

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