01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, DOMENICO PIOLA'S Alexander and the family of Darius, with footnotes #36

DOMENICO PIOLA (1624-1703)

Alexander and the family of Darius

Oil on canvas

289.5 x 396 cm.

Private collection

Sold for EUR 1,842,000 in Jun 2022

In 333 BC Alexander defeated Darius III, the last king of the Achaemenid Empire, at the Battle of Issus. Darius escaped capture, but his wife Stateira I, his mother, Sisygambis, and his daughters Stateira II and Drypetis were taken by Alexander. Alexander displayed forgiveness in victory. According to Plutarch:

"He gave them leave to bury whom they pleased of the Persians, and to make use for this purpose what garments and furniture they thought fit out of the booty. He diminished nothing of their equipage, or of the attentions and respect formerly paid them, and allowed larger pensions for their maintenance than they had before. But the noblest and most royal part of their usage was, that he treated these illustrious prisoners according to their virtue and character."

Although Darius's wife was renowned for her beauty, "Alexander, esteeming it more kingly to govern himself than to conquer his enemies, sought no intimacy with any of them." More on Alexander and the family of Darius

Domenico Piola (1627 – 8 April 1703) was a Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and designer. He was the leading artist in Genoa in the second half of the 17th century, working for both public and private collectors. His first teacher was his 17-year older brother-in-law Stefano Camogli. Piola was further trained by his older brother Pellegro and then studied under Pellegro's teacher, Giovanni Domenico Cappellino (1580–1651).

From 1650 onwards, the Piola family played a dominant role in the decoration of Genoese ceilings for nearly a century. While Domenico was the key figure in the family studio, known as Casa Piola, in the second half of the 17th century, other members were Piola's younger brother, his brother-in-law Stefano Camogli, his three sons, and his two sons-in-law. The studio streamlined the design and production of decorated ceilings. The studio also produced designs for sculptors and for craftsmen in wood, ceramics and metalwork.

In 1684–5 Domenico visited Milan, Piacenza, Bologna and Asti. At Piacenza, he painted decorations in the Casa Baldini. In Genoa in 1688 he and Gregorio de’ Ferrari began to decorate rooms in the Palazzo Rosso on the theme of the four seasons, Piola executing Autumn and Winter and Ferrari the more lyrical Spring and Summer. Preparatory drawings for Winter survive (Genoa, Palazzo Rosso; London, British Museum). More on Domenico Piola

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