The Victorious Hannibal Seeing Italy from the Alps for the First Time
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 1770โ1771, for a competition announced by the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma.
It takes up a historical theme related to the figure of Hannibal โ 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 Selgas-Fagalde Foundation, was wrongly attributed to Corrado Giaquinto; Goya's attribution 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.