The ‘thousand ships’ of the Greek forces are gathered at Aulis, waiting for fair winds. A sign tells them how long the war against Troy will last, but they have to do something horrific first.
Metamorphoses
How a half-brother of Hector blamed himself for the death of Hesperia, who died of a snakebite, flung himself from a cliff, and was transformed into a diver.
Chione, who had been raped by Mercury and Apollo, is silenced by Diana’s arrow. Her father is transformed into a hawk, and King Ceyx and his grieving widow are changed into kingfishers.
The trickery involved in building the first city of Troy results in its destruction. How Achille’s parents marry, and what happens at their wedding.
Two delightful and gently humorous stories, with superb paintings by Domenichino, Poussin, de Clerck (a real jewel), and Émile Lévy.
After he lost Eurydice, Orpheus scorned the company of women. For this, a frenzied mob of Bacchantes overwhelm him, and tear him apart, for which Bacchus is not pleased.
Venus had been terrified of Adonis going hunting, and cautioned him about going near savage beasts. But he wasn’t to be put off. Superb paintings by Veronese, Titian, Rubens, and others.
The man beats the woman quite unfairly, then on the way home they stop off to make love in a temple. Their misbehaviour is punished. More superb narrative paintings.
A dark tale of a wicked nurse, incest, transformation, the origin of the precious resin myrrh, and obstetrics in the arboretum. And a possible very early Titian.
An unusual transformation, from statue to person, which has been widely retold. A superb series from Burne-Jones, more from Gérôme, and Regnault – fine paintings.
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