The painting sector inspired by historical, mythological, and literary texts was among the most appreciated in Cifrondi’s vast production.The two large paintings in this room explore themes of harmony and family concord threatened by hatred, arrogance, and oppression.The first painting shows Cambyses II, King of Persia, shooting an arrow into the heart of his minister Prexaspes’ son to prove his sobriety to those accusing him of excessive drinking.The second canvas depicts the moment when the enraged king, accused by his wife Roxana of murdering her brother, threatens her with a sword, causing her to die of fright.These two paintings are emblematic of the 17^th century’s fascination with “exotic” themes, where East Asia was seen as a place of ruthless despotism but also of refined pleasures and uninhibited sensuality.In 2023, thanks to Intesa San Paolo, these two large paintings returned to the place for which they were originally intended and from which they had been removed a century earlier.

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