French School, Late 18th Century - Alexander The Great In The House Of Darius

French school of the late 18th century
Alexander the Great in the house of Darius
Oil on canvas
H. 42 cm; W. 53.5 cm without frame
Apocryphal signature lower right "Verhag..."

This painting illustrates a famous episode from Antiquity: the meeting of Alexander the Great with the family of Darius III after the victory of Issus (333 BC). In the center, the queen and her children, prisoners, express fear and supplication, draped in warm-colored fabrics. On the right, Alexander, helmeted and wearing a red cloak, imposes his presence with his gesture of clemency, refusing to allow the defeated family to be humiliated. The background, with its columns and classical architecture, places the action in one of Darius's palaces, certainly the Apadana (in the south of present-day Iran). This scene, much appreciated by neoclassical painters around 1780-1800, highlights the magnanimity of the conqueror and illustrates the heroic and moral ideal associated with Alexander: victory accompanied by greatness of soul.

Created at the end of the 18th century, this composition is a French work, most likely around the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where these historical subjects were the basis of all apprenticeships in the profession.