The Restoration and the subsequent repression of the uprisings for independence favour the birth of the theme of the patriot in prison
The collapse of the ideals of liberty that occurred after the failure of the Napoleonic venture and the subsequent Restoration, was followed by the gradual rise of movements, such as the secret political society of the Carbonari, with the aim of winning national independence with initiatives that often resulted in insurrections and revolts. The military repression of these movements led to the birth of a new artistic “theme”: the patriot-prisoner or the exile. A subject that filled the artistic and literary production at that time, as in the case of Le mie prigioni [My Prisons] by Silvio Pellico, and which greatly appealed to the population. This painting, which can be dated back to 1830, depicts a patriot in prison as if he were an “intellectual”, intent on writing. Clearly visible in the centre of the ceiling is a ring with a rope hanging from it, in remembrance of torture and torment.
