Oil on canvas
The New-York Historical Society.
Gift of the New-York Gallery of Fine Arts, 1858.3.
> Artist's biography |
The Consummation of Empire presents a vivid panorama of a vainglorious empire at its peak.
A fanfare of trumpets celebrates the return of a conquering emperor.
On a pedestal to the centre right is a statue of Minerva, goddess of Wisdom, holding a victory figure
in her right hand.
This is a reference to Rome, but Cole's allusions were contemporary as well as classical: New York under
Andrew Jackson's presidency was undergoing a feverish period of growth and speculation; London, where
Cole had originally conceived the series, was the capital of a global empire.
Cole was warning his contemporaries of the dangers of power, wealth and luxury. |
Room 2: The Course of Empire
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)