A Great Sacrifice, 1860

The composition of the painting clearly harks back to Hayez’s Kiss, shown the year before, but here our attention is drawn to more down-to-earth, topical themes such as a mother kissing her son good-bye as he sets off to fight for Garibaldi. The artist and his brother Domenico were also followers of Garibaldi, Gerolamo’s personal experience allowing him to illustrate fierce battles while at the same time painting happier scenes combining patrioticideals with a celebration of family ties.