The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy

The Trojans drag the horse into their city

After ten years of siege, the Greeks pretended to leave Troy and left behind a huge wooden horse. The Trojans, believing it was an offering to the gods, pulled it into their city. Greek soldiers hidden inside opened the gates that night.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo painted this small oil sketch around 1760. It belongs to the National Gallery in London.

A great pale horse

The horse towers over the crowd, its head turned down, mane flying. On its side, Tiepolo wrote a Latin dedication to Pallas Athena, as if it were a votive offering, which is what the Trojans believed.

A crowd heaving on ropes

Men and women haul on long ropes, leaning back with all their weight. Their energy and confusion contrast with the calm, silent horse they are bringing to their own destruction.

Under the horse, men push the platform on its heavy wooden wheels.

The city waiting

In the background rise the walls, temples and towers of Troy, painted lightly in pale tones.

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 to 1804) was the son and assistant of the great Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. He worked with his father on frescoes in Venice, Würzburg and Madrid. He also developed his own style, more ironic and observant of everyday life, famous for his scenes of Pulcinella and Venetian society.

A series about the Trojan Horse

This small painting belongs to a series of scenes about the Trojan Horse, painted around 1760. They include the building of the horse and its procession into Troy. The series may have been studies for larger works, or independent cabinet pictures. The National Gallery in London owns two of them.

The story in Virgil

The story is told in Virgil’s Aeneid, Book 2. The priest Laocoön warned the Trojans not to trust the Greeks, saying “I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts.” But a Greek named Sinon convinced them the horse was an offering to Athena. The Trojans tore down part of their walls to bring it in. That night, Greek soldiers came out and opened the gates.

Venetian light and colour

The painting is full of the light, colour and movement typical of Venetian art. Crowds of small figures pull the huge horse. The pale sky and bright tones give the scene a festive atmosphere, ironic given the disaster to come.

Where to see it

The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy belongs to the National Gallery in London. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. You can also read about Tiepolo’s Building of the Trojan Horse.

Questions about The Procession of the Trojan Horse

Who painted it?

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, son of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

Where is the original?

The National Gallery, London.

Is it a finished painting?

It is a small oil sketch, about 38.8 × 66.7 centimetres.

What is written on the horse?

A Latin dedication to Pallas Athena.

Who was Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo’s father?

The Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

Where is the story told?

In Virgil’s Aeneid, Book 2.

Sources and image credit

• The National Gallery, London: Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
• Wikimedia Commons: The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy

Public-domain reproduction of The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy (about 1760), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.