Duet of the Trojans, first plate 1876

Henri Fantin-Latour made this lithograph called ‘Duet of the Trojans, first plate’ at an unknown date. It shows a scene inspired by Berlioz’s opera, ‘The Trojans’. Fantin-Latour was fascinated by the composer Richard Wagner and other musicians, and made many lithographs in homage to them. Lithography was then a relatively new technology and Fantin-Latour saw in it a means of disseminating art to a wider public. Here he depicts a moment of tenderness between two characters, the tragic Dido and Aeneas. The setting, with its classical architecture, is evocative of ancient times. The image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references and historical associations. Fantin-Latour was progressive in his understanding of the public role of art. This particular artwork is an interesting example of the institutional history of lithography in nineteenth-century France. To fully understand the meaning of artworks such as this, one must consider the social and institutional context in which they were made. Only then can we begin to appreciate their true significance.