The Wife of Arminius Brought Captive to Germanicus

The Wife of Arminius Brought Captive to Germanicus is a 1773 history painting by the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West.^[1][2] It depicts a scene from the Roman Empire's military campaign in Germania in the early first century, loosely based on the writings of the historian Tacitus. In the Roman encampment the recently captured Thusnelda and her children are brought before the Roman commander Germanicus. Thusnelda was the wife of Arminius, who had previously inflicted a major defeat on the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Germanicus gave safe passage for Thusnelda and her family to return to her husband. Germanicus is seated on a dais on the left. Segestes, dressed in yellow, is pleading on behalf of his daughter-in-law^[3] In reality, Thusnelda refused to denounce her husband and was taken back to Rome as a prisoner and was paraded along with her son Thumelicus in a triumph in 17 AD.^[4]

The Wife of Arminius Brought Captive to Germanicus
Artist	Benjamin West
Year	1773
Type	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	104.5 cm × 136.7 cm (41.1 in × 53.8 in)
Location	Royal Collection, London

West, a future president of the Royal Academy, received a number of commissions from the king. The subject would have appealed to George as the House of Hanover claimed descent from Thusnelda. He was paid 150 guineas each for this work and its companion piece The Family of the King of Armenia before Cyrus, which displayed a similar classical scene of magnanimity. Both paintings remain in the Royal Collection and are on loan at Spencer House.^[5]