Alexander the Great and Thaïs

Alexander the Great and Thaïs depicts the famous story of the Macedonian conqueror and the Athenian courtesan who reportedly urged him to burn the Persian royal palace at Persepolis — a tale from Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus that fascinated Renaissance and Baroque painters as a story of desire, power, and ruinous influence. Ludovico Carracci painted this in 1611, near the end of his long career, and the work is now in Palazzo Tanari in Bologna. The secular historical subject stands somewhat apart from Ludovico's predominantly religious output but reflects the broad Bolognese interest in classical antiquity as a source for history painting. The choice of subject — with its undercurrent of the dangers of passion — was consistent with the moralising dimension that distinguished serious Baroque history painting from mere entertainment.

Ludovico arranges the figures in a close exchange, the physical proximity of Alexander and Thaïs charged with psychological tension. The palette is warm and rich — purples, golds, deep reds — consistent with a scene of opulent court setting. Figure modelling is assured, and the background is simplified to concentrate attention on the protagonists' interaction.