Caius Furius Cressinus accusé de sortilège

This painting depicts Gaius Furius Cressinus accused of sorcery. A figure from Republican Rome, Cressinus is known through Pliny the Elder’s account: a freedman turned successful farmer, he aroused the jealousy of his neighbors, who accused him of magic because his harvests were better than theirs. Brought before the people, he proved that his success came not from spells, but from hard work, strong tools, and well-kept slaves. The work thus stages a moral episode from antiquity, contrasting superstition, social jealousy, and the value of labor. Painted in 1777, it also reflects the taste of 18th-century French history painting for exemplary ancient subjects. ([commons.wikimedia.org](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANicolas_Guy_Brenet%2C_%22Caius_Furius_Cressinus_accuse_de_sortilege%22%2C_Mus%C3%A9e_des_Augustins_%282004_1_130%29.jpg))