The sacrifice of Polyxena

This exceptional history painting by Pieter Codde depicts the sacrifice of Polyxena, a dramatic episode from the last phase of the Trojan War. It is a rare example in Dutch art of the reciprocal influence of theatre and painting. The Amsterdam artist Pieter Codde is mainly known as the painter who finished the socalled Lean company (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), a large militia portrait begun by Frans Hals. As one of his most elaborate history paintings, The sacrifice of Polyxena is an important work in Codde's oeuvre.