Nicolas Poussin. The Continence of Scipio. 1640.

The painting " The Continence of Scipio" by French artist Nicolas Poussin depicts a scene from ancient history - the noble act of the Roman general and proconsul Scipio Africanus.  

The painting is known under two titles: "The Continence of Scipio" and "The Magnanimity of Scipio." This dual naming reflects differing interpretations of the event by ancient historians Polybius and Livy.  

The Greek historian Polybius described this episode from the Second Punic War in Carthago Nova primarily as a story about the general's restraint. According to his account, several young Roman soldiers captured a maiden and presented her as a gift to Scipio. The Romans made no distinction between combatants and non-combatants, and the practice of “raptio” was applied to captive women - they were considered movable property of the victors. However, Scipio refused the gift, stating that while he might have accepted it as a common soldier, such entertainment was unbecoming of his high status. This act earned Scipio respect from both his own soldiers and the defeated.  

However, Scipio's action may have been less an act of wisdom and nobility and more a political maneuver to validate his position as proconsul. In Rome, appointments to offices followed a strict sequence of military and civil posts according to age requirements. During the Second Punic War, when no commanders came forward to lead the campaign against Carthage, Scipio was elected as proconsul by the popular assembly, bypassing the age restrictions - a decision the Senate had to accept. Scipio's conduct may have been intended to convince the Senate of his spiritual maturity and readiness for high office.  

In the interpretation of Roman historian Titus Livius (known as Livy), Scipio appears more magnanimous than restrained. While Livy's account largely follows Polybius's narrative, it introduces a new character - the maiden's fiancé Allucius, a chieftain of the Celtiberians. Where Polybius has Scipio simply return the captive to her parents, Livy describes him giving the maiden to her betrothed along with a wedding gift - the ransom previously brought by her parents. The grateful young man in turn came to Scipio with fourteen hundred Celtiberian horsemen.  

Thus, in Livy's version, Scipio's magnanimity brought Rome several hundred "friends of the Roman people." This special status was granted based on a treaty concluded with a foreign ruler and approved by the Senate. Rome pursued a flexible policy toward conquered territories. The principle of “divide et impera” (English "divide and rule") imposed on all territories under Roman control an obligation to refrain from independent foreign policy, along with other conditions that varied depending on their relationship with Rome.  

In the painting, Scipio's high proconsular status is symbolized by the fasces - bundles of rods bound with straps, carried by lictors, the attendants who accompanied high-ranking civil and military officials. The rods from the fasces were used for corporal punishment, thus the fasces symbolized the right to administer physical penalties.  

When an axe was inserted into the bundle of rods, it signified the official's authority to impose death sentences. Within Rome, fasces were carried without axes, while in the provinces and during wartime they always included axes. Since the scene depicted takes place outside Rome, on the Iberian Peninsula, and during wartime, the absence of axes in the fasces is an inaccuracy on the artist's part.  

One of Poussin's key artistic techniques was perspective, which he employed in every painting, and "The Continence of Scipio" is no exception. When composing his works, the artist used his own invention, now called the "Poussin box", arranging wax figures within it to achieve harmonious solutions.