This lot is subject to Artist's Resale right
Jean Philibert LEFEBVRE
The Battle of Gaugamela also known as the Battle of Arbela, 1790
signed and dated 1790 lower right
extensively inscribed
The work is in very good condition with all the details and colours remaining sharp and clear.
43.5 x 91.5 cm
54 x 102 cm (w/frame)
Provenance
private collection, Greece Christie’s, Old Masters Auction - December 2007
Estimate
€ 2 000 – 3 500
Notes
The Battle of Gaugamela also known as the Battle of Arbela was the last, biggest, and most decisive battle of Alexander the Great against Darius in 331 BC. This was the final battle between the two kings and is considered to be the final blow to the Achaemenid Empire, resulting in its complete conquest by Alexander. The fighting took place in Gaugamela, a village on the banks of the river Bumodus. The area today is known as modern-day Erbil in Iraq.
Jean Philibert LEFEBVRE painted this in 1790 based on Charles Le Brun’s original. Charles Le Brun was commissioned by Louis XIV of France in the 17th century to create a series of paintings about Alexander the Great. These today can be seen in the “Hall of the History of Alexander” in the Louvre Museum.