The Poisoned Alexander Attempts to Drown Himself

From the Getty Museum record

In this image, Alexander the Great approaches the Euphrates, one of the key rivers that facilitated the development of ancient Mesopotamia. Alexander is shown writhing in agony from poison administered by one of his enemies. The conqueror is presented in a vulnerable position, shown low, crawling on all fours in visible torment. Overwhelmed and consumed by pain, Alexander contemplates ending his life by drowning. His wife, Roxane, follows close behind, her posture and gestures embodying desperation and sorrow as she pleads that he abandon his suicidal plan. Notably, Roxane is depicted with a halo, a striking addition that aligns her with saintly iconography, suggesting a deliberate effort to imbue the narrative with Christian undertones. The emotional intensity of the figures, rendered in Grigoris’s angular style, draws the viewer into this deeply human moment of pain and despair.