The Battle Between Heraclius and Chosroes, painted by the Italian renaissance artist Piero della Francesca in around 1466, is one of several frescoes that make up the great wall painting series Legend of the True Cross. The work is situated in the lowest spot on the east wall of the choir in the Church of San Francesco at Arezzo. It depicts Pier’the Persian King “Chosroes stealing wood from Noah for an object of worship. In response, Heraclius – Eastern Emperor at the time – wages a war against him to reclaim and protect this precious relic. Eventually, with his glorious victory on the battlefield, he returns to Jerusalem with the Holy Wood and presents it to Christ.
This painting captures a momentous moment between two powerful forces, exemplifying both painter’s skillful craftsmanship when creating dramatic scenes. Along with Battle Between Heraclius and Chosroes; another powerful fresco painting series which illustrated a similar theme was Vulcan And Aeolus by Piero Di Cosimo, which was created around 1495-1500 carries similar depictions of battle but has been represented differently. Both these fresco marvelous paintings depict different stories – one illustrating war between two forces while other capturing emotional responses to such events in unexpected ways – yet both paintings capture attention through its use of various elements that portray strength and dominance while still maintaining realism.
