Alexander Visiting the Tomb Of Achilles

Set in an architectural fantasy like those of Joli's teacher Giovanni Paolo Panini is a scene of Classical history. Alexander the Great of Greece, king of Macedon and conqueror of Persia, modeled his life after that of the hero Achilles from Homer's Iliad. According to Plutarch, as he began his warlike campaigns he visited the leader's tomb, honoring his memory with garlands and precious oils in hope of similar success. Above the tomb, an equestrian statue of Achilles rears.

Antonio Joli, a pupil of 18th-century Roman view painter Giovanni Paolo Panini, first studied in Modena. In Rome, he knew not only Panini but also the Galli-Bibiena family of theatrical painters. Receiving commissions throughout Europe, he became painter to the Bourbon court in Naples.