Alexander and Roxana, after 1617

Alexander the Great's marriage to Roxana of Bactria in 327 BCE was a historically significant event: the Macedonian conqueror's decision to wed an Asian noblewoman rather than a Greek bride carried enormous political and symbolic weight, representing both his adoption of Persian kingship customs and his personal attachment formed during the Central Asian campaigns. The subject was treated in the ancient world by the painter Aetion — whose competition-winning painting was described by Lucian — and revived in the Renaissance through Sodoma's famous fresco cycle. Van Thulden's treatment, dated 'after 1617' with the year 1617 assigned to the database, belongs to his earliest career period when he was absorbing influences from Rubens and from the Italian tradition of history painting transmitted through prints and copies. The undisclosed collection suggests this work may be in private hands.

The bridal chamber scene offered painters the opportunity to depict the meeting of two cultures — the Greek warrior king in armour and the Bactrian noblewoman in Eastern dress — within an intimate interior setting. Van Thulden's early handling would show the direct influence of Rubens in the warm palette and the physical dynamism of the figures, though the subject's domestic register called for a more restrained treatment than battle or mythological scenes.