Study for "Antiochus and Stratonice"

Batoni's study for Antiochus and Stratonice from around 1746 documents his working method for one of the most celebrated mythological subjects of Neoclassical painting — the story of the young Antiochus, son of the Seleucid king Seleucus, who fell desperately ill with love for his stepmother Stratonice. The physician Erasistratus diagnosed the true cause by observing Antiochus's pulse racing when Stratonice entered the room, and the king ceded his wife to save his son's life. The subject fascinated Neoclassical painters for its combination of medical observation, impossible love, and royal self-sacrifice. Batoni's oil study shows him working out the compositional arrangement before committing to the final canvas.

Batoni's oil sketch on canvas reveals his preparatory process with looser handling than his finished works, showing the compositional planning and warm color relationships that underlie his polished neoclassical style.