Henry Fuseli

Ixion slaying Phorbas and Polymelus in revenge of his mother, Megara, who, having refused them as suitors, was killed by them

Ixion slaying Phorbas and Polymelus in revenge of his mother, Megara, who, having refused them as suitors, was killed by them by Henry Fuseli

Artwork Detail

Here Fuseli illustrates a little-known part of Ixion’s story which is only found in Anthologia Palatina III: 12, a text that the artist may have discovered while in Rome between 1770 and 1778. King of the Lapiths in Thessaly, Ixion is more famous in many mythologies as the first man to murder a relative, by pushing his father-in-law into a pit of burning coals.

Title
Ixion slaying Phorbas and Polymelus in revenge of his mother, Megara, who, having refused them as suitors, was killed by them
Artist/creator
Henry Fuseli
Production date
1810
Medium
pen and black ink, with grey, pink and green wash
Dimensions
254 x 196 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1965
Accession no
1965/59
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

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