Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Pollice Verso depicts a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum facing an audience of spectators, vestals, and the emperor; the work’s title, which means “with a turned thumb,” refers to the gesture Ancient Romans used to pass judgment on combat. This painting was one of the most reproduced images of the late nineteenth century, and Gérôme himself was closely involved with its distribution in print in Europe and the United States as well as its reworking in sculptural form. The painting’s widespread circulation and consequent fame led to its adaptation in early cinema, the circus, and other popular spectacles.