Henry Fuseli

Aphrodite carrying off Paris after his battle with Menelaus

Aphrodite carrying off Paris after his battle with Menelaus by Henry Fuseli

Artwork Detail

This has been described as a personal allegory for Fuseli. Beauty (Aphrodite) is taking the artist (Paris) away from his struggles in London to the invigorating stimulation and wonders of Rome (Helen). The walls behind the figures are derived from engravings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who became a great admirer of Fuseli, placing his name on one of the tombs in an engraving of the Appian Way. The pose of the two figures comes from those of Castor and Eriphyle on the Meidias Vase (c410–400 BC) in the British Museum in London.

Title
Aphrodite carrying off Paris after his battle with Menelaus
Artist/creator
Henry Fuseli
Production date
circa 1768-circa 1769
Medium
pen with grey and pink wash
Dimensions
218 x 178 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1965
Accession no
1965/52
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

To find out which artworks are available for print requests and reproduction please enquire here. This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection.