Antiochus and Stratonice
- Date
- c.1773
- Classification
- Drawings & watercolors
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- sheet: 17 9/16 x 23 3/8 in. (44.6 x 59.4 cm)
framed: 24 x 30 x 1 1/2 in. (61 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 4:1949
NOTES
The subject of this drawing comes from a legend loosely based on ancient Greek history. The Syrian king Seleucus (seated at right) summoned a physician to diagnose a mysterious ailment afflicting his son Antiochus. The doctor concluded that the prince was suffering from unrequited love for his own stepmother, Stratonice, who stands at left.
Benjamin West was a prolific painter of historical scenes and a tireless draftsman, working through ideas and compositions in hundreds of surviving preparatory drawings, such as this example. Created around the same time as Daniel Interpreting to Belshazzar the Writing on the Wall, also on view in this gallery, this drawing attests to West’s skill as a history painter and his interest in the past for both his subject matter and style.
Benjamin West was a prolific painter of historical scenes and a tireless draftsman, working through ideas and compositions in hundreds of surviving preparatory drawings, such as this example. Created around the same time as Daniel Interpreting to Belshazzar the Writing on the Wall, also on view in this gallery, this drawing attests to West’s skill as a history painter and his interest in the past for both his subject matter and style.
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