The Greeks and the Trojans Fighting over the Body of Patroclus

Antoine Joseph Wiertz painted this monumental canvas in 1836, depicting the epic struggle for the body of Patroclus from Homer's Iliad. Wiertz was a Belgian painter of enormous ambition who aspired to rival Michelangelo and Rubens. He painted on a colossal scale, and this painting, one of his largest, was intended to establish his reputation as the greatest painter of his era — a claim few contemporaries accepted.

The massive canvas demonstrates Wiertz's genuine anatomical skill and his ability to orchestrate violent action on a monumental scale. The dramatic composition of intertwined, struggling figures reflects his intensive study of Rubens, though the execution lacks the Flemish master's dynamic fluency.