Scilurus, king of the Scythians - Hallé

Booklet from the 1767 Salon, n° 14:

"Scilurus, King of the Scythians, seeing himself near death, had his children assembled, (History gives him 80 male children) ; ordered the youngest to take an arrow, & to break it ; which he did without difficulty. He then commands the elders to gather several, form a bundle, & try to break it. All their efforts were in vain. Such is the strength of union, said this Father to his sons : Live friends, you will be invincible.
This Painting, 9 feet 2 inches high, by 4 feet 8 inches wide, belongs to His Majesty the King of Poland. "

Mercure de France, October 12767, p. 165 :

" In the first we see Scilurus, King of the Scythians, who, about to die, having his children assembled, orders the youngest to break an arrow. He then orders the eldest to form a bundle of several rods and try to break it. Their efforts are in vain. Such is the power of union," Scilurus tells his sons, "live as friends, and you will be invincible. Connoisseurs note, in this production by M. Hallé, a commendable accuracy in the costume part, much harmony in the color, & u characteristic tone very-convenient to the subject. "

On the left, the youngest brother easily breaks an arrow, while on the right, the three strongest brothers fail to break the bundle. The moral lesson is about the bundle which, through the union of the arrows, remains indestructible. But Hallé's staging blurs the point: what we see is that the three brothers together are held in check, while the younger brother alone does very well...