![Giovanni Lanfranco - The Funeral of a Roman Emperor [c.1636] by Gandalf's Gallery](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s2_HfYbSs4dUL76_2cTeIDlqpM6c61JSW1eUozC-Z1_yKCjCjhFXlto9NhgTgaG9VdgfzJ9S-yXguIHhMVjUls95GfwRZX-xdhnDTL9VL0NFMpVzVt251AKIv9ZMn2=s0-d)
Giovanni Lanfranco - The Funeral of a Roman Emperor [c.1636], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.
The Emperor's funeral was one of the key ceremonies in imperial Rome, it was a preparation for his deification. It was a solemn ceremony that culminated in the act of cremation. The embalmed body of the deceased was arranged on a pyre, around which grieving demonstrations occurred. In the foreground several pairs of gladiators are fighting, an allusion to the funeral games which were held in honour of the emperor.
[Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid - Oil on canvas, 335 x 488 cm]
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