Death of Priam Early 19th century oil on canvas 100 x 136 cm An important historical-mythological composition depicting the tragic episode of Priam's death during the sack of Troy, taken from Virgil's Aeneid. The scene shows the old Trojan ruler defeated and dragged in chains by a young warrior armed with a sword, identifiable as Neoctolemus (or Pyrrhus), son of Achilles. In the background appear further armed figures and a lifeless body, a probable reference to the killing of Polytheus, son of Priam, an episode immediately preceding the death of the Trojan king.The work is fully in keeping with the historical-neoclassical taste widespread in the late 18th and early decades of the 19th century, characterised by a strong interest in subjects taken from classical mythology and ancient history. The theatricality of the composition, the antique-style architectural setting, the academic construction of the figures and the contrast between the heroic violence of the young warrior and the despair of the old sovereign recall the figurative culture of the Empire period.In terms of setting and iconographic choice, the painting appears close to the artistic climate that developed between Rome and Paris in the sphere of neo-classical history painting, in relation to the international taste promoted by the Grand Tour and, above all, to the academic culture linked to the Prix de Rome. In this context, tragic episodes taken from Virgil, Homer and Plutarch constituted privileged subjects for the training of young artists and for the realisation of the great historical 'machines' of theatrical and moral taste. The work shows affinities with the language of artists active between Italy and France in the first decades of the 19th century, such as Vincenzo Camuccini, Pietro Benvenuti and Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, authors of famous compositions dedicated to the most dramatic episodes of ancient history and classical mythology.