Alexander at the Tomb of Cyrus

Castiglione’s handling combines oil paint with a pronounced application of white, creating a luminous atmosphere that lifts the figures from the paper surface. The brightened areas contrast with deeper shadows, a modest use of chiaroscuro that gives the scene a sense of airiness while emphasizing the contours of Alexander’s attire and the tomb’s architecture.

The drawing originates from Castiglione’s mature period, when he was active in Genoa and later in France, producing etchings, monotypes, and history paintings. Although the work’s early ownership is not fully documented, it has been recorded in several European collections before entering its present museum holdings in the late twentieth century.

In the mid‑seventeenth century, Italian Baroque artists frequently turned to classical and biblical narratives to explore moral and political ideas. Castiglione’s choice of a relatively obscure historical anecdote reflects the era’s fascination with exempla drawn from antiquity, aligning his oeuvre with contemporary interests in heroic virtue and the legacy of past rulers.