This is a great puzzle manufactured by the German company Schmidt. The title is The Battle of Issus, or The Battle of Alexander at Issus, by Albrecht Altdorfer.
This puzzle is COMPLETE (1000 pieces). The pieces are in excellent condition. The box is in very good condition.
Other versions of The Battle of Issus
F.X. Schmid issued a 1500 piece version, but Ravensburger manufactured other versions as well. The best known edition is the 1500 piece version, although there is an interesting 2000 piece version with a cropped image, which is easier to find. There are also two large versions that are very rare. One of them is a 3000 piece version by Ravensburger, and the other one is a 4000 piece cropped version by Schmidt. This large version lacks the completeness of the image, but offers some amazing details.
The painting portrays the 333 BC Battle of Issus. Alexander the Great secured a decisive victory over Darius III of Persia, and gained crucial leverage in his campaign against the Persian Empire. The painting, dated in 1529, is Altdorfer’s masterpiece.
In the image, thousands of soldiers surround the central action. Alexander is leading two rows of charging cavalrymen, and dashes after a fleeing Darius, who looks over his shoulder from a chariot. The opposing armies show different colors in their uniforms: Darius’ army in red, and Alexander’s in blue. It is an apocalyptic scene of two huge armies within an extravagant landscape from a very high viewpoint. In fact, it is the earliest painting showing the curvature of the Earth from a great height.
The Battle of Alexander at Issus is in the Alte Pinakothek art museum in Munich.
It is definitely a magnificent puzzle, but difficult to find.
More information about The Battle of Issus:
- Puzlze size: 65.5 x 47.8 cm.
- Box size: 37 x 27 x 5.2 cm.
- Reference number: 02483.
- EAN number: 4002998024835.