The Illness of Antiochus

[1] The scene is one described in Plutarch's Life of Demetrius and also attested in the Bibliotheca historica of Diodorus Siculus, Lucian, Appian and Valerius Maximus.

The doctor Erasistratus discovered the cause of Antiochus' sickness, since he became agitated and his heartbeat quickened when Stratonice entered the room.

The painting was exhibited in the gallery at the Palais-Royal[4] and was inherited by the Duke of Orléans' widow Hélène de Mecklembourg-Schwerin on his death in 1842.

The Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse produced Étienne-Nicolas Méhul's opera Stratonice several times whilst Ingres was a violinist with them.

[6] The decor and dress are partly inspired by ancient models, with Stratonice in particular, very closely influenced by Roman sculpture.