Lot 1038 | The Family of Darius at the Feet of Alexander

CALIARI, PAOLO
('Veronese')
1528 Verona - 1588 Venice


Workshop
Title: The Family of Darius at the Feet of Alexander.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Mounting: Relined.
Measurement: 79 x 157cm.
Frame/Pedestal: Framed.
Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany.

The present painting, depicting the family of Darius at the feet of Alexander, comes from the workshop of Paolo Veronese and is considered a scaled-down replica of a prototype by the master from 1565-1570 (oil on canvas, 236 × 475 cm), which has been in the National Gallery in London since 1857.

As was customary with Paolo Veronese, the historical episode is depicted in majestic Palladian architecture rather than in the tent of Darius, where historians believe it should have taken place. The costumes of the figures are also splendid and accurate examples of 16th century Venetian fashion.


The London painting is the only work mentioned by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe during his visit to Venice in 1786, when the poet admired it during his stay at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta. It is an equally magnificent work reproduced by the workshop for a wealthy patron or admirer of Paolo Veronese.