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About This Work
Panicked citizens struggle against a spreading fire in a city square, with figures seen scaling walls and women carrying water jugs. On the far left, a young muscular man carries an elderly man on his back, while a small child follows them, a direct reference to Aeneas and Anchises fleeing Troy. In the background, Pope Leo IV appears on the balcony of the Old St. Peter's Basilica to bless and quell the flames.
The work illustrates the Renaissance synthesis of classical antiquity and Christian history, specifically the concept of 'pietas' shared by both traditions. By modeling the Roman refugees after the Virgilian myth of Aeneas, the artist aligns the heroic origins of Rome with the divine authority and protective power of the Papacy.