Gerard de Lairesse, The Sacrifice of Polyxena
Holden Fund, 2021.169 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Gerard de Lairesse

The Sacrifice of Polyxena

1667

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
etching
Dimensions
30.5 × 38.7 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-212984

After the fall of Troy, the Trojan women were divided among the Greeks. Achilles arose from his grave and demanded that Polyxena, the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, be slain on his tomb in order to join him in the afterlife. Behind a blindfolded Polyxena who awaits her fate on a sacrificial altar in this image, Achilles appears in warrior’s garb on a rearing horse. Gerard De Lairesse’s figures are firmly modeled, and the space clearly defined with classical architecture, and reflect his interest in French art of the same period.

Provenance

Holden Fund, 2021.169

Registry history

  • 1667 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — prints

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