Artwork
Alexander den Store på sygelejet
Alexander den Store på sygelejet is an oil painting by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. It dates from 1806 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg portrays Alexander the Great on his deathbed, an allegorical representation that juxtaposes imperial ambition with the vulnerability of mortality. The composition emphasizes the historical figure’s isolation and the contemplative stillness of his final moments, inviting viewers to reflect on the transience of power. By situating Alexander on a sickbed, Eckersberg underscores themes of human frailty and the inevitable decline that follows even the greatest conquests, while the surrounding details, such as the subtle symbolism of disease, reinforce the work’s moralizing intent.
Technique & Style
The painting dates from 1806, a formative period in which Eckersberg was consolidating his Neoclassical approach to figure composition and narrative staging.
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium Eckersberg employed throughout his early career. The relatively modest support measures 54.5 cm in height by 65.5 cm in width, giving the composition an intimate horizontal format suited to its interior subject of Alexander the Great confined to a sickbed. The painting dates from 1806, a formative period in which Eckersberg was consolidating his Neoclassical approach to figure composition and narrative staging.
History & Provenance
The painting was commissioned and completed in 1806 by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, as indicated by both its dated inscription and the work’s inclusion in the artist’s known oeuvre for that year. The subject depicts Alexander the Great on his sickbed, reflecting a historical episode in which the Macedonian ruler is said to have died in Babylon in 323 BCE.
It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains held. The work’s provenance prior to its museum acquisition is not documented in the provided sources.
The work is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is recorded under the inventory number for the painting. It has been included in the exhibition "A beautiful lie - Eckersberg, Fire danske klassikere: Nicolai Abildgaard, Jens Juel, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg og Bertel Thorvaldsen".
The painting measures 54.5 cm in height and 65.5 cm in width, and was created in 1806 using oil paint on canvas. It portrays Alexander the Great in a bed, reflecting the theme of disease.
Overview
Alexander den Store på sygelejet is an oil painting created by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg in 1806. It is part of the collection at Statens Museum for Kunst.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter.
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