Lot 1307 Dα

Cicero tells the tale of Damocles in his "Conversations in Tusculum" (5,61-62), when asked what makes a happy or unhappy life. The courtier Damocles tells his troops of the splendour, opulence and majesty at the court of the king Dionysius and concludes that he must be the happiest man on earth. Dionysius hears of this and offers Damocles the chance to exchange places with him to partake of his wealth and happiness. Damocles eagerly agrees and he is seated at a luxurious table set with silver and gold. However, Dionysius arranges for a sword to be hung from the ceiling above the throne by a single horsehair, as a symbol for the ever-present peril faced by the seemingly happy man.
Theodor Roos sets Cicero's tale in an opulent palace interior. Damocles is shown seated beneath the sword at the head of the richly decked table, being accosted by soldiers. The artist uses the left side of the painting to present an opulent still life of rugs, precious goblets, coffers, dishes, and vessels of silver and gold.
The classical arrangement of the figures and the theatrical appearance of the architectural setting all speak for the influence of the French Baroque. Theodor Roos was the younger brother of the landscape and animal painter Johann Heinrich Roos. Like his brother, he too found employment in many of the princely courts of southwestern Germany, and he was court painter in Heidelberg before moving to Strasbourg, where he created this work in 1672. Unlike his brother, Theodor not only painted depictions of animals and landscapes, but also portraits and still lifes, which would explain why the opulent arrangement in the foreground plays such a prominent role in this narrative work.