Timotheus Playing the Lyre before Alexander and Thaïs in the Hall of the Palace at Persepolis c. 1820

Pietro Fancelli created this drawing, "Timotheus Playing the Lyre before Alexander and Thaïs in the Hall of the Palace at Persepolis", using pen and brown ink with brown wash over graphite. The drawing’s visual impact is dominated by the architectural rendering. Fancelli meticulously maps out the palace hall with a network of precise lines, creating a strong sense of depth and perspective, as if the viewer is looking into a carefully constructed stage set. The grid-like structure, visible beneath the ink, reveals a structured approach, almost mathematical in its precision. This order, however, contrasts with the scene's subject matter, an opulent party. The scene portrays a moment of cultural and perhaps political tension, as the lyre player Timotheus entertains Alexander and his courtesan Thaïs. The tension between order and chaos, structure and spectacle, is visually palpable. The drawing does not simply represent a historical scene but also engages with broader questions of representation, power, and the dialectic between order and its disruption. This drawing is a space for ongoing visual and intellectual exploration.