Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719) was born in Dordrecht and moved to Amsterdam in about 1710. Although he was a painter of some versatility, he preferred to paint history pieces (scenes from the Bible or from classical mythology). Because there was not much interest in these paintings at the time, his fame as a painter remained limited. Houbraken felt a great admiration for the Dutch masters of the Golden Age, but, as a painter of the late seventeenth century, was more an advocate of Classicism, a movement in painting that originated in France. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia is an excellent example. The painting is based on a story from the Metamorphoses of Ovid. The Greek king Agamemnon ordered a priest to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to Diana, so that the goddess would no longer prevent him from sailing with his fleet to make war on Troy. History paintings based on classical writings were Houbraken's preferred subject, because with them the painter could demonstrate his erudition. Entirely in the spirit of French Classicism he has emphasized the depiction of human emotions. Both the protagonists and some of the onlookers express definite feelings of grief, dismay and even resignation. This does not degenerate into violent drama; according to the rules of decorum the people concerned suffer the tragic event in a dignified and elevated manner. On the far left King Agamemnon has covered his face with the hem of his cloak. Following the classical model, the grief of the father was so great that it could not be depicted.