Alexander the Great's Entry into Babylon (Panel 10/10)

Within the space of no more than three months in 1812, Bertel Thorvaldsen executed a one-metre high and 35-metre-long relief frieze for the papal Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome on the occasion of the Emperor Napoleon’s planned visit to the city. The frieze is one of Thorvaldsen’s most outstanding works, and the motif is homage to Napoleon, the subject of which was Alexander the Great’s Triumphal Entry into Babylon. This motif was chosen as an ancient parallel to Napoleon’s arrival in Rome. The A…

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