Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Cordoba, Spain 4BC - Rome 65AD) achieved a considerable reputation as a writer and orator under the Roman Emperor Gaius (reigned from 37 to 41AD). Seneca was appointed tutor to the young Nero and when the latter became Emperor in 54AD, Seneca became an influential figure in his government. In 62AD, as Nero’s grasp of reality deteriorated, Seneca was asked to retire. In 65AD, he was alleged to have taken part in the conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso against Nero and, as a result, was condemned to death. The required method was to bleed to death by opening a vein, and this subject became extremely popular with seventeenth century painters as diverse as Luca Giordano, Lanfranco, Rubens and Claude Vignon. This version of the composition is considered the best of the three surviving ones by Honthorst, and indicates the artist’s success in giving the scene the maximum dramatic effect with the use of candlelight.

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