Apelles Paints Campaspa

This 1713 Apelles Paints Campaspe at the Hermitage depicts the legendary incident when Alexander the Great commissioned the painter Apelles to portray his mistress Campaspe and then gave her to the artist when he saw how deeply Apelles had fallen in love with her. The story, from Pliny the Elder, was a favorite Renaissance and Baroque subject for its celebration of art's power to inspire genuine passion. Painted during Ricci's most cosmopolitan decade—having visited Vienna, England, and Paris—this work reflects his engagement with classical humanist themes valued by international aristocratic collectors. The Hermitage's holding documents the sustained Russian Imperial interest in Italian Baroque painting.

The studio scene is rendered with Ricci's warm palette and confident figure painting, the contrast between the working painter and the posed beauty creating a composition that reflects on the relationship between art and desire.