The Painting
A watercolour measuring 15¾” x 16”. Signed M.S. Hagarty.

About the Artist
Mary S. Hagarty (fl.1885-1930) was a painter and watercolourist, the sister of Parker Hagarty. She exhibited widely in 1882-1938, including at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham (5), Dudley Gallery and New Dudley Gallery (3), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (189), Royal Academy (26), Royal Society of British Artists (5), Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (58), and Society of Women Artists (93).

The Subject
The Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, Rome. Dedicated to the Emperor Septimius Severus by the Roman Senate in AD 203, the arch was built to celebrate the wars fought against the Parthians. Typically, Roman triumphal arches are surmounted by quadrigas, or statues of chariots drawn by four horses. Severus’s arch was originally mounted by a bronze chariot drawn by no less than six horses. He was depicted seated in the chariot, with four further figures of guards and horsemen around him. This can be seen in a model of 1808-15 in the Royal Collection.