A classical city engulfed in flames and black smoke under a violent, swirling storm. In the foreground, a headless marble warrior statue raises its shield on a pedestal above citizens fleeing and fighting along the quay. A stone arch bridge crowded with soldiers and civilians collapses across the harbor as ships burn and collide in the water below.

The Course of Empire: Destruction

Title: The Course of Empire: Destruction
Artist: Thomas Cole (American, born England, 1801–1848)
Date: 1836
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 100.3 cm × 161.3 cm (39.5 in × 63.5 in)
Location: New-York Historical Society
Credit: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
License: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
Copyright: Public domain
Provenance: Digital capture (photograph or scan of a real scene/object)
Source: View original

Part of Thomas Cole's five-painting series *The Course of Empire*, depicting the sacking and ruin of a great city — the fourth stage in the cycle of civilization.