(Museo del Prado,Madrid, Spain)
A statue made by the Spanish artist Eduardo Barrón González (1858-1911). The statue depicts the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 65) and the future Roman emperor Nero. Seneca acted as Nero’s tutor when Nero was only 12 and from AD 54 to 62 an adviser of Nero. During this period the reign of Nero was described by Roman historians as quite competent but over time however Seneca lost his influence over the emperor. In AD 62, Seneca retired from public duties and lived a quite lifestyle on his country estate. during the so-called conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso in AD 65, Seneca was accused of treason (most likely a false accusation) and was forced to commit suicide. The statue emphasizes the different temperaments of Nero and Seneca: the stoic philosopher versus the volatile Nero. Statue from 1904.
