The work is of historical and theatrical nature and represents the fulfillment of a sacred vow for victory: the soothsayers had promised victory to the Romans over the Samnites on condition that one of the two consuls sacrificed himself. The work depicts the roman consul Decius Mure surrounded by his legionaries wearing the pretest toga and sacrificing himself to the gods in exchange for victory.Giuseppe Bazzani was one of the most important painters of the Italian late Baroque.He is particularly known for his religious paintings, which display impressive technical mastery and a skillful use of light and color to create evocative and spiritual atmospheres. His mythological paintings are often characterized by a vibrant vitality and a wealth of detail. Bazzani had a successful career, becoming director of the Mantua academy in 1758. His works decorate numerous churches and palaces in the city and his paintings are present in major European and American museum collections.
Flavio Caroli "Giuseppe Bazzani L' opera completa" Mondadori, Milano, 1988, p. 198Giuseppe Bazzani 1690 - 1769 Collezioni. Catalogo della mostra svoltasi presso il Museo Diocesano Francesco Gonzaga di Mantova, settembre 2019 - gennaio 2020. Pubblicato alle pagine 82 - 83.
