Following his victory over Darius’ army at the Battle of Gaugamela, Alexander the Great visited Darius’ family, treating them kindly despite their initially mistaking the imposing general Hephaestion for him. The prominent Venetian artist Paolo Veronese had previously painted this scene, and that work likely inspired Diziani. A contemporary of the more famous Giambattista Tiepolo, he often worked on a smaller scale, e g cabinet paintings.