Historical

The term "history painting" comes from the Italian word istoria, which means "narrative" or "story".  The term history painting was introduced in the seventeenth century to describe paintings with subject matter drawn from classical history and mythology, and the Bible – in the eighteenth century it was also used to refer to more recent historical subjects. 

A historical painting is a large-scale work that depicts a significant event or story, often from a written source. Historical paintings are carefully composed, and often use gesture to convey the importance of the depicted event. The historical context of a painting includes the social, political, economic, and cultural settings of the period, the artist's patrons, and the artist's intended audience.