Achilles confided to Chiron by his Mother, Thetis
Italian School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1600 - 1699
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1219 x 1537 mm (48 x 60 1/2 in)
Place of origin
Italy
Order this imageCollection
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
NT 1129298
Caption
Achilles is shown as an infant being handed over to the Centaur, Chiron, by his mother, Thetis. Achilles was to grow into the legendary Greek hero, who was to fight and die during the Trojan War. His mother, who was a sea-nymph, tried to protect him by dipping him at birth in the waters of the river Styx. This made his body invulnerable except for the heel by which she held him. Chiron, who was wise and learned, was charged with teaching him many arts, both intellectual and physical.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Achilles confided to Chiron by his Mother, Thetis, Italian School, 17th century.
Provenance
By descent until, following the death of Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895 - 1950), Hardwick Hall and its contents were accepted by HM Treasury in part payment of death duties and transferred to the National Trust, in 1959
Credit line
Hardwick Hall, The Devonshire Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Italian School, publisher