Luna finished Las Damas Romanas after winning a silver medal for The Death of Cleopatra painting in 1881 and before obtaining a gold medal for the masterpiece Spoliarium in 1884 (both were presented during the Madrid Exposition during the years mentioned).
Together with Juan Luna's Spoliarium, Hidalgo’s Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho presents "human spoliage and spoils", with human spoilage more related to Luna's Spoliarium and the human spoils closer to Hidalgo's Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho.
The change was to honour the famous Luna brothers: Revolutionary General Antonio and Spoliarium painter Juan; their mother, Doña Laureana Novicio Luna, was a native of Namacpacan.
Popular Filipino rock band The Eraserheads had a single entitled Spoliarium in their album Sticker Happy, penned by Ely Buendia.
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Ryan Cayabyab composed the opera Spoliarium, which chronicles the creation of the eponymous painting and Juan Luna's trial for the murder of his wife.