
Alexander at the Tomb of Cyrus the Great
Historical Context
Pierre Henri de Valenciennes's Alexander at the Tomb of Cyrus the Great, painted in 1796, depicts the Macedonian conqueror paying homage at the tomb of his Persian predecessor — a subject that allowed Valenciennes to combine his theoretical principles of historical landscape with his interest in Middle Eastern architectural subjects. Valenciennes, the theorist and teacher who codified the principles of plein-air landscape painting, considered the historical landscape the highest form of the genre.
Technical Analysis
Valenciennes's oil-on-canvas technique combines archaeological precision in the ancient architecture with atmospheric landscape painting. The composition carefully balances the monumental tomb structure with the surrounding landscape, demonstrating the classical principles he outlined in his influential 1800 treatise on perspective.
Provenance
James Hunt (died 1801), London, offered for sale, Christie’s, London, February 5, 1802, lot 61, bought in [according to Maria Wilson of Christie’s, letter of January 9, 1996, to Larry Feinberg, in curatorial files]; Hunt family, London. Reverend George Augustus Frederick Hart (died 1872), M. A., Vicar of Arundel, Tower House, Arundel, Sussex; by descent to his niece Catherine (Mrs. John Lord); sold at Tower House, Arundel, Sotheby’s, May 20–21, 1873, lot 131, to G. Fry for £25 [British Museum annot. cat.]. Alderman Philip Spowart (died 1945), Berwick-upon-Tweed, from c. 1937 [according to recollection of Alan G. Burns, letter of February 9, 1988 in curatorial file]; his widow, Anne Nicholson Spowart (née Wood); given to her nephew, Alan G. Burns, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1960 [Alan G. Burns letters of April 4, 1984, and February 9, 1988, in curatorial file]; sold, Henry Spencer and Sons, Retford, Nottinghamshire, November 9, 1978, lot 212, to Crozier acting on behalf of Trafalgar Galleries and P. and D. Colnaghi, London, 1978 [A. G. E. Marriot letter of April 10, 1984, and notes in curatorial file]; transferred to Colnaghi, New York, 1982; sold to the Art Institute, 1983.

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