#10538 • James Millar "Blind Belisarius" Original Painting

Part of Pierre Argillet & Royal Family Art Collection (timed auction by GWS Auctions)

Starting at $1.00

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Est. $600,000-$750,000 James Millar (English; 1735-1805) "Blind Belisarius" Original Oil on Canvas Painting Signed & Dated 1804 in Exhibit Quality Frame Attributed to Prince Lorenzo de Medici W/Letter on Personal Letterhead - This magnificent piece is an original oil on canvas painting by renowned English painter James Millar. The painting depicts the Blind Belsaris, and is stunningly detailed. Flavius Belisarius lived between 505 to 565, and was a Byzantine general under The Emperor Justinianus I (builder of Hagia Sofia). He was known as the Emperor’s best strategist, and was instrumental to the Emperor's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously. According to legends, a jealous and fearful Justinian arrested Belisarius after his final victory and had him tried for treason. The loyal general’s eyes were put out, his estates confiscated, and he was forced to wander the streets of Constantinople begging for bread while contemplating the vicissitudes of fortune. Most modern scholars believe the story to be untrue, though Philip Stanhope, a 19th-century British philologist who wrote Life of Belisarius, the only exhaustive biography of the great general, believed the story to be true. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower left corner, and is dated 1804. The painting measures approx. 58" x 48", and has been framed in a beautiful exhibit quality frame. This special piece is attributed to Prince Lorenzo de Medici, descendant and heir to one of the most famous family names in human history. The de' Medici Dynasty, which created the Italian Renaissance, symbolizes unparalleled historical contributions to art, politics, banking, cuisine, medicine, accounting, philanthropy, commerce, geography, agriculture, religion, textiles, and fashion. Prince Lorenzo is a philanthropist, international keynote speaker, television personality, chef and culinary expert, artist, and auto enthusiast, fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Russian. This piece will come with a letter from the Prince, on his personal stationery. James Millar was an English portrait painter. Millar to became the leading Birmingham portrait painter of the last quarter of the 18th century. Subjects of his portraits include John Baskerville, Francis Eginton, John Freeth and the wife of Lunar Society of Birmingham member Thomas Day. Examples of his work can be found at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Guildhall, the Royal Society, the Cowper and Newton Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the National Museum of Art in Washington D.C.