The Wedding of Alexander and Roxana (?) 1678 - 1681

Gerard de Lairesse painted this oil on canvas, “The Wedding of Alexander and Roxana (?),” sometime between 1660 and 1719, against the backdrop of the Dutch Golden Age. This canvas depicts a scene of union, but it's fraught with the power dynamics of gender, class, and conquest. Roxana, the Bactrian princess, sits passively as Alexander places a bracelet on her wrist. The cherubic figures seem to sanctify the union, yet her downward gaze hints at a loss of agency. De Lairesse, as a painter and art theorist, was deeply influenced by classical ideals and the desire to ennoble his patrons through art. What does it mean to idealize a conqueror, to soften the edges of imperial power? While visually sumptuous, the painting leaves us to consider the human cost of empire and the erasure of individual narratives within grand historical allegories. It’s a visual spectacle, yet leaves room for a deeper emotional understanding of its subjects.