Pieter Codde

The sacrifice of Polyxena

Canvas, 97.5 x 129cm

Signed at lower left: PCodde (P and C interlaced)

This exceptional history painting by Pieter Codde depicts the sacrifice of Polyxena, a dramatic episode from the last phase of the Trojan War. It is a rare example in Dutch art of the reciprocal influence of theatre and painting. The Amsterdam artist Pieter Codde is mainly known as the painter who finished the so-called Lean company (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), a large militia portrait begun by Frans Hals. As one of his most elaborate history paintings, The sacrifice of Polyxena is an important work in Codde´s oeuvre.