Nicolaus Knüpfer
Leipzig 1609 - 1655 Utrecht
Charikleia and Theagenes are surrendered to the Ethiopian King Hydaspes
Oil on panel (oak)
34,5 x 50,5 cm
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, France
We kindly thank Dr. Rüdiger Klessmann (1927-2020), Augsburg, for his confirmation (orally) of the attribution in 2019.
The Aithiopiká tells the story of a young Ethiopian princess who was abandoned after birth by her mother, the Ethiopian queen Persinna. The Ethiopian priest Sisimithrès brought her to Egypt and entrusted her to the Greek priest Charicles. As Charikleia, the young girl received Greek training as a priestess of the goddess Arthemis. At the Phytic games, she meets the young Greek nobleman Theagenes and immediately falls in love with him. At the suggestion of Kalasiris, a former priest of Memphis and confidant of Charicles, Chariklea and Theagenes decide to flee Delphi to realize a future together, as Chariklea was already promised to another wooer. This decision marks the beginning of an odyssey through the Mediterranean for the two protagonists and their traveling companion Kalasiris.