ABSTRACT
The panel painted in oil and tempera by Albrecht Altdorfer in 1529 known as The Battle of Alexander at Issus (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) is the point of departure for this chapter. It is one of the Western artworks that offers the most impressive display of the epic and heroic scale that can be evoked in artistic representations of military deeds. Several key elements undoubtedly favoured the concern to bestow an exemplary importance on this scene, and they continue to be striking features today. The result is the visualisation, not just of a key moment in history, but of a cosmic battle that seems to decide the fate of the whole world. And this universal dimension was by no means a chance occurrence: Altdorfer painted this work while the invincible army of the Ottoman Empire was advancing unchecked towards the neighbouring Vienna, and the young Habsburg Charles V was under pressure to go and assist his brother the Archduke Ferdinand, who was responsible for its defence. This chapter addresses the seminal importance of the Battle of Issus amongst Alexander’s deeds and the artistic representation of them.
