Achilles Among the Daughters of Lycomedes
unknown (Flemish School)
Basic information
- ID
- Ж-121
- Author
- unknown (Flemish School)
- Name
- Achilles Among the Daughters of Lycomedes
- Date of creation
- 17th c.
- Technique
- oil painting
- Material
- wood oil
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 53.3 x 72.5
Additionally
- Type
- painting
- Genre
- mythological painting
- Provenance
- the Lubomirski collection
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
Information about author
Object description
The canvas illustrates the mythological story of Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes. Achilles was the son of the Myrmidons' king Peleus and Thetis, a sea goddess. To save Achilles from death near Troy, Thetis disguised him as a girl and left him under the care of King Lycomedes of Scyros. In his palace, Achilles lived under the name Cercysera, Aissa or Pyrrha. Achilles had a relationship with Lycomedes' daughter Deidamia, who gave birth to their son Pyrrhus, later known as Neoptolemus. Another version states that Neoptolemus was the son of Achilles and Iphigenia. Having learnt of Achilles' hiding place, Odysseus, Nestor, and Ajax were sent to take him from Scyros. Lycomedes allowed them to search the entire palace, thinking he had hidden Achilles well. However, Odysseus devised a cunning plan – he laid out gifts for the women and put a sword and shield between them. Achilles took the weapons and promised to lead the Myrmidons to Troy. The painting depicts a multi-figured scene inside a building. On the left, a group of young girls in colourful dresses is portrayed near a table with exquisite dishes, seashells, corals, and pearls. A girl with a sword and shield is shown on the far right. She has turned her head towards a man standing behind her, holding her by the waist. Behind her are the figures of four other men, two wearing helmets. Exquisite dishes, weapons, musical instruments, and colourful fabrics are displayed on the ground in the centre and on an oval table to the right. To the left, a seascape with hills opens through an archway.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
