Alexander the Great demonstrating his trust in his physician Philip of Acarnania by drinking a medicinal draught prepared by him despite allegations that it was a poison. Oil painting by Benjamin West, ca. 1771.

  • West, Benjamin, 1738-1820.
Date:
[1771?]
Reference:
45040i
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view Alexander the Great demonstrating his trust in his physician Philip of Acarnania by drinking a medicinal draught prepared by him despite allegations that it was a poison. Oil painting by Benjamin West, ca. 1771.

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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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Credit

Alexander the Great demonstrating his trust in his physician Philip of Acarnania by drinking a medicinal draught prepared by him despite allegations that it was a poison. Oil painting by Benjamin West, ca. 1771. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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About this work

Description

On the right, Philip reading the allegations, and on the left the author of them, the general Parmenio. In the background are tents with soldiers and horses.

Publication/Creation

[1771?]

Physical description

1 painting : oil on canvas ; canvas 96 x 103.5 cm

References note

Edward Brayley and John Britton, The beauties of England and Wales, or, delineations, topographical, historical and descriptive of each county, vol. VI, London 1805, pp. 120-121 ("Portswood House, the seat of Giles Stibbert, Esq. formerly a General in the service of the East India Company, is a handsome building, situated on an eminence … The interior is commodious, and is fitted up and ornamented in a style of chaste simplicity. Some very fine paintings are distributed through the different departments; the following are some of the principal. A landscape with figures, Teniers; A sea piece, Teniers; Two landscapes, Hobbema; Charles II in armour, Van Dyck; Sir Robert Cecil, Cornelius Jansen; A Madonna, Carlo Dolci; Charles II represented as St George conquering the dragon, Rubens; A storm at sea, Vernet; Hope, and Faith, two heads, Guido; Alexander and his physician, West; Caesar and his friends, West; A landscape with figures, Lorraine; Two landscapes with figures, Gainsborough; and A landscape, Poussin.")
Helmut von Erffa and Allen Staley, The paintings of Benjamin West, New Haven 1986, no. 7
Christopher Wright et al., British and Irish paintings in public collections, New Haven and London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2006, p. 815

Reference

Wellcome Collection 45040i

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    On Exhibition

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