This artwork, etched by Quirin Mark (1753–1811) after a design by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), features a storied meeting between two famous figures from ancient Greece. On the left-hand side of the canvas is the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great (r. 336 to 323 BCE), and sprawled in front of him is Diogenes “the Cynic” of Sinope. In terms of chronology, the scene is set in the time when Alexander was still consolidating his power in Greece before he set out on his renowned campaign to conquer the Persian Achaemenid Empire and parts of India. The king and Diogenes were said to have met each other in Athens or Corinth, where Alexander—an admirer of Diogenes and his philosophy—tried to strike up a conversation with the man and offered him anything the philosopher might desire. The scene was recorded by Arrian (c. 90-173+), a Roman general and scholar who wrote a biography of Alexander’s life:
“[Alexander] was marching somewhere in the Isthmus with a contingent of Guards and infantry Companions, and chancing to see Diogenes lying in the sun, he stopped and asked him if there was anything he wanted. ‘Nothing,’ replied the philosopher; ‘though I should be grateful if you and your friends would move to one side, and not keep the sun off me’” (Arrian, Anabasis, 7.2).
Diogenes’ dismissive response to the king’s offer became legendary. The artwork re-creates the episode, showing Alexander and his comrades crowding around the annoyed philosopher, blocking the rays of light that are beautifully emphasized in Quirin Mark’s engraving.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/771325
