The Battle of Alexander at Issus

The subject of this painting by Albrecht Altdorfer is the victory of the young Alexander the Great over the Persian army of King Darius III in the battle of Issus in 333 B.C. Painted in Germany in 1529, the message of the Altdorfer's masterpiece was clear—it was intended to liken Alexander's heroic victory at Issus to the contemporary European conflict with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). The tablet on top says in Latin: "The defeat of Darius by Alexander the Great, following the deaths of 100,000 Persian infantry and more than 10,000 Persian cavalrymen. While King Darius was able to flee with no more than 1,000 horsemen, his mother, wife, and children were taken prisoner".