Hexathlon on the Island of Lipadusa

The painting is an allegory of the clash of Christendom and Islam at the time of Charlemagne, bearing reference to Ludovico Ariosto’s chivalric tale Orlando furioso (Mad Roland). Charlemagne’s paladin Roland fights on a white horse in the midst of the battle against Agramant, king of the Saracens. To the left and right of this, Roland’s comrades Brandimart and Olivier wage the fight against Agramant’s warriors Gradass and Sobrin. The Europeans are able to win the battle on the Mediterranean island of Lipadusa (Lampedusa). With the groups framing the battle scene, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld indicated the historical and religious dimension of the battle: The black prince with the white slave and the pagan idol at the left are pitted against a bishop holding a model of a church and standing in front of a lunette showing Elizabeth giving alms. To the right of this, a procession takes place. Enthusiastic about Hexathlon on the Island of Lipadusa, the brothers of the Guild of Saint Luke in Vienna accepted Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld into their union in 1817, inviting him to Rome so that he could take part in the painting of the Casino Massimo, for which he reinterpreted this theme once again.