Alexander the Great Taming Bucephalus
| Alexander the Great Taming Bucephalus | |
|---|---|
_-_Alexander_the_Great_(356%E2%80%93323_BC),_Taming_Bucephalus_-_485149_-_National_Trust.jpg) | |
| Artist | Benjamin Robert Haydon |
| Year | 1826 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 153 cm × 193 cm (60 in × 76 in) |
| Location | Petworth House, Sussex |
Alexander the Great Taming Bucephalus is an 1826 history painting by the British artist Benjamin Robert Haydon.[1] [2]It depicts a scene from ancient history when Alexander the Great tamed his famous warhorse Bucephalus. On the right of the picture are Alexander's father Philip II of Macedon and mother Olympias.
It was purchased by the art collector Lord Egremont for his country estate Petworth House. He received 500 guineas for the work.[3] In order to depict Bucephalus, Haydon originally tried to draw inspiration from equestrian works by George Stubbs. When this was unsuccessful, Egremont arranged for him to have access to the Household Cavalry's riding school.[4]
It was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition at Somerset House in 1827. Critical reception was discouraging for Haydon with the The Morning Post calling it "ill-grouped, ill-drawn, ill-coloured and exrtemely vulgar" although The Times praised its "good colouring and bold drawing".[5] Today it is in the collection of the National Trust at Petworth.[6]
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Brown, David Blamey, Woof, Robert & Hebron, Stephen. Benjamin Robert Haydon, 1786-1846: Painter and Writer, Friend of Wordsworth and Keats. Wordsworth Trust, 2009.
- O'Keeffe, Paul. A Genius for Failure: The life of Benjamin Robert Haydon. Random House, 2011.
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