1500, Ravensburger, The Battle of Alexander

Ravensburger manufactured this great puzzle in 1973, although there is an earlier version from 1971. The title is The Battle of Alexander, by Albrecht Altdorfer. Other titles of the painting are The Battle of Issus or The Battle of Alexander at Issus.

The puzzle is like NEW, with all the pieces SEALED inside the original plastic bag. The box is in very good condition, with some shelf wear and a tear on a corner, as you can see in the photographs.

Other versions of The Battle of Alexander

Schmidt issued a 1000 piece version, and F.X. Schmid issued a 1500 piece version. Ravensburger created other nice versions as well. There is an interesting 2000 piece version with a cropped image easier to find. However, the larger versions are the best, and also the rarest. One of them is a 3000 piece version by Ravensburger. The other one is a 4000 piece  cropped version by Schmidt. This large version lacks the completeness of the image, but offers some amazing details.

The painting portrays the 333 BC Battle of Issus. Alexander the Great secured a decisive victory over Darius III of Persia. As a result, he gained crucial leverage in his campaign against the Persian Empire.

Thousands of soldiers swarm in the image, but the action centers in Alexander. He is leading two rows of cavalrymen, and dashes after Darius, who looks over his shoulder from a chariot and flees. The opposing armies show different colors in their uniforms: red and blue. It is an apocalyptic scene of two huge armies within an extravagant landscape from a very high viewpoint. In fact, it is the earliest painting showing the curvature of the Earth from a great height.

The Battle of Alexander at Issus is in the Alte Pinakothek art museum in Munich. The painting, dated in 1529, is Altdorfer’s masterpiece. Although the museum holds plenty of masterpieces, this painting by itself makes the visit worthwhile.

It is definitely a magnificent puzzle, but very difficult to find.

If you want to know more about the historic background and some trivia, check out this interesting article.

More information about The Battle of Alexander:

• Puzzle size: 59.5 x 84 cm.
• Box size: 43 x 30 x 4 cm.
• Reference number: 625 5 626.
  
• EAN number: N/A.