The death of Darius III, ca. 1635 – ca. 1640

Blatt: 251 x 371 mm

Physical Description: Pen in brown over black chalk, brush in white, framed on all sides with a hand-drawn line in brown

Inventory Number: 4116

Object Number: 4116 Z

Status: On display, Department of Prints and Drawings Exhibition Gallery

Texts

About the Work

The clearly structured drawing convincingly illustrates the violence and drama of the complex battle scene. Traditionally ascribed to Pietro Cortona, today it is considered the work of Cortona’s pupil Giacinto Gimignani. The well-considered execution is characteristic of this artist’s work: His pen adheres quite precisely to the preparatory chalk drawing underneath; only few corrections are to be seen. The theme is the assassination of King Darius III of Persia by two of his generals on his flight from Alexander the Great.