COYPEL, Charles-Antoine
(b. 1694, Paris, d. 1752, Paris)

Fury of Achilles

1737
Oil on canvas, 147 x 195 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Coypel had an excellent knowledge of ancient literature and here he precisely illustrated a passage from Homer's Iliad: Poseidon and Athena, having assumed human form, support the hero Achilles as he rushes at the Trojans. In the foreground are the river god Scamander (Xanthos) and his brother Simoeis, also sworn enemies of Achilles, while in the sky Hephaestus, carrying torches, is rushing to his aid, sent by the goddess Hera.




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