The Painting

Originating from the collections of the royal palaces, this tapestry depicts Painting. Together with the tapestry entitled Sculpture, which is still conserved at the Palácio das Necessidades, it formed part of an Allegory of the Arts. Recounting the visit made by Alexander the Great to the studio of Apelles, the most famous painter of Antiquity, at a moment when this artist was painting Campaspe, the king’s concubine and the model with whom the artist fell in love, this work evokes the nobility of Painting. Appearing at the top of the border, which mimics a carved and gilded wooden frame, is the legend GRATIOR EST IN PULCHRO CORPORE VIRTUS (virtue is more gracious in a beautiful body).