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Alexander the Great on his Sickbed
C.W. Eckersberg (Danish, 1783–1853)
1806
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 54.5 cm, width 65.5 cm, height 68.8 cm, width 79.9 cm
- Culture
- Danish
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
Philippus, physician to Alexander the Great, has been wrongly accused of seeking to poison Alexander, and is now reading the charges against him on Alexander’s sickbed. Around 1800, many artists used scenes from history as a narrative device for outlining a moral dilemma or drama. Alexander the Great was an unusual choice; at this point in time he was generally considered a tyrant. It is likely that Eckersberg was inspired by his teacher Abildgaard, who addressed the ancient Greek ruler in several different works around this time (cf. Monrad 1990; Kragelund, 1999, II, 538–40). The artist also emulated his teacher in his perception of the motif. X-ray studies show that the standing man in the middle originally had his face turned down towards Alexander..
