The Marriage of Antiochus and Stratonice

The Marriage of Antiochus and Stratonice — a story from the ancient Seleucid dynasty in which the physician Erasistratus diagnosed the young prince Antiochus as lovesick for his father's wife Stratonice, prompting the noble king Seleucus to give Stratonice to his son — was a classical narrative prized in the Renaissance as an example of self-sacrificing paternal love and medical acuity. The story was recounted by Plutarch and Valerius Maximus and was adopted as an exemplum of royal magnanimity. Montagna's treatment at the Ashmolean represents the rare secular, classically-derived subject in his predominantly religious output, reflecting the humanist taste of his north Italian patrons who sought to demonstrate their classical learning through art commissions. Such mythological and historical subjects were fashionable for private camerini and studioli interiors where learned patrons displayed their education.

A narrative scene with multiple figures in an interior or ceremonial setting requires careful management of spatial depth and the interaction of gazing figures. Montagna applies his Mantegnesque figure style to a secular subject, deploying the same heavy drapery and physical authority he used for saints in a court context. The architectural setting references both ancient Rome and contemporary north Italian palace interiors.