Artwork
Antiochus Yearning for Stratonice
Antiochus Yearning for Stratonice is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Stefano Pozzi. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
Stefano Pozzi’s oil on canvas, dated around 1740, presents a moment drawn from Hellenistic legend. The work resides in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and measures a modest size typical of 18th‑century history paintings, inviting close inspection of its narrative tableau.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts the young prince Antiochus, afflicted by an unspoken love for his stepmother Stratonice. Overcome with melancholy, he reclines on a couch, eyes shut, while a physician, sensing his distress through a pulse examination, confronts the hidden passion. A woman in blue, identified as Stratonice, watches the exchange, embodying the silent tension of forbidden desire.
Technique & Style
Pozzi employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to frame the figures and a focused light that highlights Antiochus’s pallor and the physician’s hand. The contrast of the red robe against the dark background intensifies the emotional atmosphere, while the smooth brushwork conveys the silkiness of the fabrics and the softness of flesh.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑18th century, the painting entered the Art Institute of Chicago’s holdings through a mid‑20th‑century acquisition, though earlier ownership records remain sparse. Its attribution to Pozzi has been consistently affirmed by stylistic analysis and archival references to a commission for a private collector interested in classical subjects.
Context
The work reflects the Enlightenment fascination with moralizing episodes from antiquity, where personal virtue and hidden emotions were explored through historical allegory. Pozzi’s choice of a love‑laden yet discreet narrative aligns with contemporary tastes for refined, didactic scenes that could be displayed in aristocratic salons.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Stefano Pozzi was an Italian painter, designer, draughtsman, and decorator whose career was spent largely in Rome.
