QUELLINUS, Erasmus II
(b. 1607, Antwerpen, d. 1678, Antwerpen)

Achilles with the Daughters of Lycomedes

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Oil on canvas, 114 x 164 cm
Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest

In this picture, Achilles, disguised as a girl, is detected by the artful Odysseus. The painting translates the ancient myth into the courtly ambience of the 17th century. The picture almost appears like a theatrical staging, with actors in exquisite costumes appearing against the backdrop of impressive sets. The work stands out for its narrative complexity, employing the refinement of Baroque rhetoric as was called for by contemporary art theory. Quellinus's interpretation of the episode evidently relies on the Daughters of Lycomedes from the Life of Achilles, an Antwerp tapestry cycle based on designs by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1630–35).

Quellinus treated the subject of Achilles among the Daughters of Lycomedes several times.