Long description

A highly stylised military set piece, depicting naked warriors, wearing nothing but helmets, red robes, and sandals, in the setting of a mountain pass. At the centre is a warrior, looking directly at us, with a sword in his right hand and a large shield in his left hand, which frames his pose. Three figures behind him hold out laurels in their left hand to a warrior climbing the rocks on the left of the painting, with a sword in his right hand. Below him a warrior poses with his left arm outstretched and a spear in his right arm. To the right of the central figure is a mass of similarly unclothed warriors, with two trumpeters framing the scene — their long trumpets pointing left over the shoulder of the central figure. In the background, the mountain sides open up to reveal a simple Greek temple (with four front columns and a triangular pediment), a distant valley, and a darkening sky.