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Before the Line Breaks: a painting of the front rank of Roman legionaries behind red winged shields with javelins on a frosted field at dawn
Printed in the USA Made to order, shipped domestically
Free US Shipping Tracked to your door
Arrives Perfect Damaged? Free reprint or refund
Pax Romana Art

Before the Line Breaks

A Roman battle line · Dawn

1.057 kr1.416 kr Save 359 kr
Opening offer · Ends Nov 22
Choose formatFramed canvas
Choose frameBlack
Choose size Size guide 24x18″

Free US shipping. Made to order: at your door in 3–7 business days.

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  • Printed in the USA. Printed, stretched, and shipped in the USA.
  • Free US shipping. Tracking included on every order.
  • Canvas, framed or not. Stretched over FSC-certified wooden bars, or set in a wooden frame with a 12 mm gap around it.
  • Hanging hardware included. Framed canvas arrives assembled, with the hanger attached.
  • Arrives perfect — guaranteed. Damaged or defective? Free reprint or refund.
Details & specs

Framed canvas

  • Canvas (cotton-polyester blend)
  • Set in a wooden frame with a 12 mm (0.45″) gap around the canvas
  • 42 mm (1.65″) deep
  • Arrives assembled and ready to hang: hanger attached, screws or nails included

Canvas

  • Canvas (cotton-polyester blend)
  • Stretched over FSC-certified wooden bars
  • Hanging hardware included
  • Sizes: 16x12″ · 24x18″ · 32x24″
  • Orientation: Horizontal
  • Medium: Canvas
  • Style: History painting
  • Era: Timeless
Shipping & returns

Made to order and printed and framed in the USA. Produced in 1–2 business days, delivered 2–5 business days after that — 3–7 business days door to door. Free US shipping, tracked.

Damaged, defective or the wrong item? Email a photo within 7 days of delivery and we send a free replacement or a full refund. Because every piece is made to order, change-of-mind returns are not accepted.

Shipping policy · Return & refund policy

Size guide
Before the Line BreaksFramed canvas · Black · 24x18″ 1.057 kr 1.416 krSave 359 kr
Printed & framed in the USA Printed & shipped domestically
Free US shipping Tracked to your door
Quality guarantee Damaged? Free reprint or refund
Made to order Printed for you in 1–2 business days
Before the Line Breaks: a painting of the front rank of Roman legionaries behind red winged shields with javelins on a frosted field at dawn
Before the Line Breaks
A Roman battle line · Dawn

The Last Quiet Before Battle

The legion's strength lay in discipline in the line. Soldiers were trained to keep their place, close the gaps and replace the fallen without breaking formation. Vegetius, writing in the late empire, says each man should hold about three feet of frontage, with six feet between ranks so that men had room to throw and to fight. Centurions led from the front, and their deputies, the optiones, are thought to have stood behind to keep the ranks closed.

A Roman attack often opened the same way. At close range the soldiers threw their pila, javelins with long iron shanks designed to punch through a shield and bend. Julius Caesar, describing his battle with the Helvetii in 58 BC, says a single throw of pila could pin several shields together, so that many of the enemy threw their shields away and fought unprotected. Then the legionaries drew their short swords and closed in behind their shields.

The piece

The painting brings us right up to the front rank. The nearest shields fill the left of the picture, worn and scratched, their metal bosses catching the light. Faces under the helmets look straight ahead, set and calm. Frost whitens the grass at their feet, and their breath hangs in the cold air. The line runs away from us in a long diagonal toward the horizon, where an eagle standard and a centurion's red crest rise against the dawn sky. Every man is waiting for the same signal.

Materia · The materials

Canvas, framed or not.

01

Canvas

A coated cotton-polyester canvas, with deep, true color and the texture of the weave.

02

Wooden stretcher bars

The canvas is stretched over FSC-certified wooden bars.

03

Floating frame

Black, natural wood or dark brown, with a 12 mm (0.45″) gap around the canvas. 42 mm (1.65″) deep.

04

Ready for the wall

Framed canvas arrives assembled, hanger attached, screws or nails included. Canvas comes with its hanging hardware.

Size guide

Find the right size

This piece, to scale, above an 84-inch sofa. Pick a size, or a format and frame above, and the wall follows.

Before the Line Breaks: a painting of the front rank of Roman legionaries behind red winged shields with javelins on a frosted field at dawn
Sofa · 84″ / 213 cm

Which size?

Sizes are the artwork's. Frames and hangers add a little around the edge.

Above a sofa or bed, art looks best at about two-thirds of the furniture's width, hung 8 to 10 inches above it.

Keep exploring

Find your next piece of Rome

This piece's collection first. Pick a style, a format or another collection for the rest.

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See all The Legion