Antonio Balestra (Verona, 1666-1740) Alexander the Great before the corpse of Darius, circa 1725 Oil on canvas, 141 x 176.5 cm. Unpublished. PRIVATE COLLECTION SOLD The painting arrived at its current location with a generic reference to the Venetian school of the early 18th century and a Homeric subject, linked to the Iliad: "Achilles weeps over the death of Patroclus." However, beyond the fact that the virile character lying lifeless on the ground, with the obvious wound on his chest, seems too mature to impersonate Achilles' young friend, he still wears a crown on his head. The detail refers, more correctly, to the episode of Alexander the Great in front of the corpse of the treacherously killed enemy, King Darius. The event is narrated by Plutarch in Parallel Lives (Life of Alexander, 43) and by Curtius Rufus in The History of Alexander the Great (book V, chapter 13). The removal of the yellowed varnish and the cleaning of the pictorial film have revealed an overall well-preserved surface, highlighting at the same time a full-bodied material and a happy… (see Giamblanco catalog 2015) Dimensions H x W x D Height cm.: 141 Width cm.: 176.5 For more information send us an email: galleria@giamblanco.com Go to the main site Follow us on Facebook