Nocturnal scenes with burning buildings were among Johann Georg Trautmann’s <1713-1769> most popular subjects. This scene goes back to the classical Roman poet Virgil, who describes the fall of the city of Troy in his Aeneid. Against the burning buildings in the background can be seen the large wooden horse with which the Greeks were able to enter the city of Troy. They were able to emerge from their hiding place through an open hatch in the horse’s belly. The Greeks’ battle against the Trojans is raging. In the foreground the Trojan Aeneas carries his elderly father Anchises on his back out of the danger zone. He is followed by his son Ascanius, who looks around one last time. After various wanderings Aeneas will land in Latium, a region in central Italy. He is considered the ancestor of the Romans.