The Victorious Hannibal Seeing Italy from the Alps for the First Time, or Hannibal the victor crossing the Alps, or Hannibal the victorious from the heights of the Alps looks out over the plains of Italy () is an oil painting by Spanish painter Francisco Goya, dating from his early years. It is the oldest documented work by the painter.
The painting was created during Goya's stay in Italy in 1770–1771, for a competition announced by the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma. It takes up a historical theme related to the figure of Hannibal – the commander of the armies of ancient Carthage, who crossed the Alps with his army in the third century BC with the intention of conquering Roman Italy. The artist carefully followed the rules given by the academy for depicting the subject, made numerous preparatory drawings and at least two oil sketches. The painting, located in the collection of the , was wrongly attributed to Corrado Giaquinto; Goya's was not confirmed until 1993. As of April 2021, the work is part of the Prado collection. A copy is in a private collection in Barcelona. Despite the availability of many sketches and radiographic studies made, not all art critics agree on the authenticity of this painting.
Circumstances of creation During the years 1770–1771, Goya stayed in Italy, where he honed his painting skills. He was then a young and still unknown artist seeking validation of his talent and a path to fame. Before his departure to Italy, he attempted to gain entry into the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, but he faced failure in two consecutive competitions held by the academy. Probably due to the intervention of José Nicolás de Azara, Goya was admitted to the prestigious competition for young artists announced by the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma in May 1770. It is also possible that he learned about the competition from Gesualdo di Giacomo, a Sicilian painter he met in Rome, who also participated in it. Goya probably hoped that recognition from the Italian institution (especially the Parma academy, which enjoyed the patronage of Philip Bourbon, brother of the Spanish king Charles III) would help him in his career upon his return to his homeland, and perhaps even pave the way for work at the royal court.
The painting submitted for the competition was also supposed to be accompanied by an appropriate motto, and the artist was required to include in the letter their country of origin and the name of the master under whom they studied. While in Rome, on 20 April 1771, Goya wrote a letter to the new secretary of the academy, Count Rezzonico, informing him of the submission of his painting to the competition. In the letter, he embellished his origins and introduced himself as Francesco Goia, a Roman, and a pupil of the court painter Francesco Vayeu (Francisco Bayeu). He adorned his submission with a motto taken from the Aeneid: Iam tandem Italiae fugientis prendimus oras (At last we seize the shores of Italy, which ever flee us, [...]).Virgil, Aeneid, Book VI, translated by Tadeusz Karyłowski. This was considered an apt choice of quotation for a painter whose journey to Italy also required many hardships and sacrifices, as well as a reference to Hannibal, who arrived in Italy ready to conquer it, just as Goya aimed to conquer it with his painting. The quote from Virgil and the flawlessly written letter in Italian suggest that he received assistance from José Nicolás de Azara. , ambassador of King Charles III in Parma, could also have provided him with support.
The mandatory theme of the competition was a historical scene depicting Hannibal gazing upon Roman Italy, which he was soon to attack. Four paintings participated in the competition (besides Goya, Pierre du Hallas, Gesualdo di Giacomo, and Paolo Borroni competed), which were exhibited in the academy's salon during June 1771. Goya's painting received six positive votes from the commission but did not win the competition. It received an honorable mention, praising Goya for his ease with the brush, the countenance and posture of Hannibal, and the majesty with which he portrayed the ancient leader. However, the commission was not satisfied with the color scheme and composition, noting that if the colors were more realistic and the composition closer to the requirements, Goya would have had a chance of winning. The first prize, in the form of a gold medal, was awarded to the Italian Paolo Borroni, who studied at the academy under the guidance of Benigno Bossi (a member of the jury) and had received the second prize the previous year. According to , the award was unjustly given to a local painter. Goya's painting surpassed the winning work in quality and better fulfilled the competition's conditions. Goya's name was mentioned in the Diario Ordinario de Roma on 3 August 1771, and in the prestigious literary magazine Le Mercure de France in January 1772 (where it was incorrectly stated that he had won the second prize).
Description In the Parma competition, in addition to the theme of the victorious Hannibal seeing Italy from the Alps for the first time, certain compositional elements were imposed: Hannibal was to be depicted raising the visor of his helmet and turning to the winged genius who takes him by the hand; he sees from afar the beautiful landscape of distant Italy, and in his eyes and whole face there is revealed an inner joy and noble confidence in further victories. Such a depiction of the African chieftain can be found in the sonnet Annibale vincitoreFerocemente la visiera bruna / alzo sull’Alpe l’Affrican Guerriero / cui la vittrici militar fortuna / splendea negli atti del semblante altero [...]. Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, Annibale vincitore, Sonnet VIII. by Italian poet Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, who was secretary of the academy until 1768. The theme of the competition was intended as a tribute to the late poet. Also the dimensions of the painting (88.3 × 133 cm) correspond exactly to the requirements from the competition.
Goya had limited access to sources describing the figure of Hannibal, and it is possible that he used the resources of the library of José Nicolas de Azara. He complied with the requirements of the academy and depicted the figure of the leader in a poetic manner, giving his person and actions a nobility. Hannibal stands upright on a rocky outcrop and, lifting his helmet slightly, looks confidently ahead. He had just traveled the long and hard road from Spain through the Pyrenees, where he had lost part of his army due to the low temperatures and difficult terrain. Now he has crossed the chain of the Alps and is looking at Italy for the first – his face expresses awe and amazement. He seems to have just realized his accomplishment and nothing can stop him from conquering Rome. His right hand is clenched in a gesture that indicates his will to win. Hannibal's helmet is decorated with the motif of drac alat – a winged dragon, the heraldic emblem of the kings of Aragon, which Goya knew from the coat of arms of Zaragoza. The winged figure of a genius, in a theatrical gesture, wraps an arm around the leader and points him to the Italian landscape, invisible in the painting. A rider in a helmet adorned with feathers holds a giant wind-moved flag and leans toward him. A shield – an attribute of the victorious leader – can be seen behind the horse's legs. Part of Hannibal's cavalry is slowly making its way toward the valley, and the outline of the battle can be seen on the left.
Goya also introduced two allegorical figures that reflect the geography of the depicted scene and emphasize the outcome of the battles led by Hannibal. Against the cloudy sky, approaching in her chariot, is Victoria – the goddess of victory and glory, also identified as Fortuna, who directs human destinies, accompanied by a putto carrying a sheaf of wheat. In her hands, she holds a laurel wreath, which she intends to adorn the victorious leader with. One of her hands rests on a wheel, which may signify the fickleness of fortune and Hannibal's tragic end. This element was borrowed from the works of Corrado Giaquinto. In the foreground, facing away from the viewer and closing the composition, is a figure representing the allegory of the longest river in Italy – the Po. Presented according to the iconography of Lombardy by the Italian writer Cesare Ripa, the figure, with a muscular male silhouette and a bull's head, pours water from a tilted amphora, symbolizing the valley of the river.
Preparatory sketches