Saverio Altamura, an Italian Romantic painter from Bari, was a key figure in Risorgimento art, blending historical themes with revolutionary fervor. Trained in Naples, he exiled to Greece and France after 1848 uprisings, influenced by Pre-Raphaelites via his wife, Jane Benham Hay.

Théodore Géricault – The Raft of the Medusa (1818–1819)
Dimensions: 491 cm × 716 cm (193 in × 282 in)
Location: Louvre Museum, Paris (since 1824) 

Historical Context & Inspiration

The painting is based on the real-life wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse on July 2, 1816, off the coast of present-day Mauritania.