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In the sixteenth century a large number of fresco decorations was based on well-known literary works of antiquity. In addition to Ovid's Metamorphoses, the Latin and Greek works that frequently provided inspiration for mural paintings included Virgil's Aeneid, Livy's Roman history with depictions of Roman virtues, Plutarch's Lives, Valerius Maximus's Dicta and facta memorabilia, and Apuleius's Golden Ass.
The scenes in the central hall in the Villa Godi are based on Plutarch's Lives. In the central hall, imposing, monumental arcades with projecting trabeation, crowned by tympanums, stand out against the walls like stage sets, framing two episodes from the life of Alexander the Great. In an illusory windows (at left) a landscape is set for the Rape of Europe in the foreground.
The episode on the wall shown in the picture depicts Alexander the Great covering Darius's corpse with a coat.
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