This image depicts the moment when Alexander the Great's forces crossed into Asia in 334 B.C. and engaged the Persian army on the banks of the river Granicus (Kocabas) near the site of ancient Troy. Alexander, in the center of the composition, finds himself surrounded by Persians wearing winged helmets and turbans. The fate of his enemies is sealed by the ax of the nearby Clitus the Black, an officer in Alexander's elite cavalry. The conceit of the image points to Alexander's triumph as evidence of heroic princely virtue. Thus, as the print's motto states, "Virtue surmounts every obstacle."