SCHEFFER, Ary
(b. 1795, Dordrecht, d. 1858, Argenteuil)

Greek Women Imploring for Assistance

1826
Oil on canvas, 65 x 55 cm
Private collection

During the Bourbon restoration monarchy (I814/15-1830) Scheffer took an increasingly active part in politics. A supporter of liberal reform, he was a fierce opponent of the conservative Bourbon regime. The Greek independence movement excited his imagination and he produced six works inspired by their struggle against the Turks. Of these the Souliot Women (Salon of 1827) and the Greek Women Imploring for Help are two of the most notable. In the latter, the desperate women, fleeing the aftermath of the Battle of Misslonghi, take shelter in a cave, praying for help.




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