Antiochus Yearning for Stratonice

Stefano Pozzi's Antiochus Yearning for Stratonice depicts the classical tale of a prince wasting away from secret love for his stepmother, a popular subject in 18th-century painting. Pozzi was a Roman painter who worked in the decorative tradition of the late Baroque, producing altarpieces and mythological scenes for Roman churches and palaces. The subject allowed artists to explore the drama of concealed passion and medical diagnosis.

Pozzi's oil-on-canvas technique features the fluid, luminous brushwork and pastel-inflected palette of the Roman late Baroque transitioning to early Neoclassicism. The theatrical composition arranges figures in a frieze-like arrangement with dramatic gestures and rich drapery.