POUSSIN, Nicolas
(b. 1594, Les Andelys, d. 1665, Roma)

The Death of Chione

1623
Pencil, pen, brown ink and wash on paper, 184 x 313 mm
Royal Library, Windsor

In his Metamorphoses, Ovid relates how Diana shot an arrow through the sneering Chione's slanderous tongue. Poussin's drawing is impressive both for the directness with which it illustrates the outcome of this brutal act and the confidence with which it conveys the grief and despair of Chione's bereaved family at the same time as the triumph of Diana.




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