This illustration, by the German artist Conrad Martin Metz (1749–1827), is housed by the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) and is labeled as an “Ancient Roman scene set in a Temple to Apollo”. Despite the title, the artwork likely depicts a scene from ancient Greece, not Rome, and the temple of Apollo in question is probably the famous Oracle of Delphi. In particular, there is a high likelihood that Conrad Martin Metz’s scene references a specific tale from the Life of Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BCE).
According to ancient accounts of the king’s life, Alexander the Great decided to stop by the Oracle at Delphi for a prophecy about his future before launching his famous invasion of the Persian Empire. Alexander’s visit to Delphi sparked a curious legend, and the odd story was later recorded by the prolific biographer, Plutarch (c. 50-120). As the story goes, Alexander arrived at Delphi on a day when the Oracle was closed due to religious law and customs. Nevertheless, the young king was such an impetuous and headstrong person that, rather than wait a day or two for the Oracle site to resume its operations, Alexander instead barged into the complex and forcefully compelled the priestess to deliver a divine message, despite the religious laws forbidding her from carrying out her duties on that day. On this odd episode, Plutarch wrote:
“[Alexander] visited Delphi because he wished to consult the oracle of Apollo about the expedition against the Persians. It so happened that he arrived on one of those days which are called inauspicious, when it is forbidden for the oracle to deliver a reply. In spite of this he first sent for the prophetess, and when she refused to officiate and explained that the law forbade her to do so, he went up himself and tried to drag her by force to the shrine. At last, as if overcome by his persistence, she exclaimed, ‘You are invincible, my son!’ and when Alexander heard this, he declared that he wanted no other prophecy…” (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Life of Alexander, chapter 13).
It is likely this scene that Conrad Martin Metz re-creates in his illustration. His artwork depicts ancient Greek-styled warriors dragging a priestess toward a tripod seat below a statue of Apollo within a temple compound. It is similar in nature to the painting, Alexander Consulting The Oracle Of Apollo, by Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (c. 1724 – 1805).
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- Plutarch’s Life of Alexander in The Age of Alexander: Ten Greek Lives by Plutarch, translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert and Timothy E. Duff. London: Penguin Classics, 1973, 2011.
- The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.
- https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KKSgb8361?q=roman%20scene%20apollo&page=0&filters=public_domain%3Atrue
