Jean-Léon Gérôme, French
After His Unfortunate Run-In With That Lion in the Arena, “Lefty” Was Going To Need a New Nickname, Date Unknown
Oil on panel
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Info, or links that point to more info, about this artist can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (the fourth of which may be unresponsive), perhaps in addition to what's in his Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page has more).
If that here is indeed unresponsive, its archive can be found here.
/// These men led a life of privation
and suffered extreme exploitation,
while only the winners
got edible dinners
and hopes for their emancipation.
/// Gladiators would battle for freedom.
Bread and wine were their only “per diem.”
Some used tridents and nets
as the viewers placed bets
in this larger-than-death mausoleum.
/// When he charged, all the Romans could see him
as he fought cross the great Colosseum.
His opponent in view,
shouts “Fork me? No, fork you!!”
(Now his skull decorates a museum.)