Description
Struck by a mysterious illness, Antiochus lies in bed near death. His grieving father, who has recently taken Stratonice as his wife, summons a doctor. Noticing that the sight of the young woman quickens Antiochus’s pulse and that passion causes his sickness, the doctor describes the youth’s predicament to his father, who selflessly offers Stratonice to his son. The subject, both a love story and an example of parental devotion, enjoyed considerable popularity well into the 1800s.
Provenance
Ingres estate sale, Paris, Drouot, 27 April 1867 (lot 6), Stratonice, Répétition presque terminée du même sujet [Stratonice], 1834, ff 4,220. Mme Ingres. Louis Bazille, Montpellier (1870). Pierre Leenhardt, Paris sale, Georges Petit, 4 May 1922 (lot 29, repr.), Stratonice, ou la maladie d'Antiochus. Alphonse Kann, Paris. Seized by the Germans in 1941. Recovered after WWII. Sold by Kann's heirs. Anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 12 May 1950 (lot 30, repr.), Stratonice, ou la maladie d'Antiochus. Jacques Seligmann, New York. Purchased by the cma on 3 January 1966.
Accession Number
1966.13
Medium
oil on linen
Dimensions
Framed: 74.5 x 91.5 x 11 cm (29 5/16 x 36 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 48.1 x 63.9 cm (18 15/16 x 25 3/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
