Art Institute of Chicago

The Crossing of the Granicus from The Story of Alexander the Great

After a design by, and woven at the workshop of, Karel van Mander the Younger (1579–1623)LinkedCulture matchlcp-31275d93f49b

Date: 1619
Medium: Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave
Culture: Holland
Department: Textiles
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 65167

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

This tapestry dramatizes a battle fought in 334 B.C. between the Macedonians and the Persians. Alexander the great, king of the Macedonians, is depicted just left of center; dressed in ornate gilt armor, he rides a white horse and raises a sword boldly above his head. Facing him is a Persian general on a dark horse with both hands grasped around an axe. Although Alexander appears imperiled, he was ultimately victorious in the battle. the tense moment represented here provided a compelling narrative for noble patrons in the 17th century, willing to imagine Alexander's triumphs as equivalent to their own.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago
Provenance: Prince Anatoli Demidoff (died 1870), Villa San Donato, Florence, Italy, presumably from 1840; by descent to his nephew Paul Demidoff (1839-1885); sold at auction from Villa San Donato, Florence, 1880, lot 109 (all nine tapestries). Jennie McGraw Fiske (d. 1881), Ithaca, New York, to 1881; presumably by decent to her husband Daniel Willard Fiske (d. 1904) or another relative. Purchased by the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago for $10,000, 1911; given to the Art Institute, 1911.

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Object type: AAT300435669

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

18th-Century French Decorative Arts
These objects represent the luxury decorative traditions of 18th-century France, unified by their use of refined materials (tapestry weave, Savonnerie knotted pile, carved wood), classical themes (Ovid's Metamorphoses, S
48 objects from 5 institutions