The ancient cities of Croton and Sybaris lay in present-day Calabria in southern Italy. In a battle between them, Croton won despite having fewer warriors. Louis Jean Desprez travelled in Calabria in the early 1780s, and later made use of the landscapes he had drawn there. This painting is brimming with warring soldiers, a mêlée that has been both admired and criticised. The work was commissioned by Gustav III and hung in the new opera house.