Thetis Immersing her Infant Son Achilles in the River Styx to Make him Invulnerable 1794 - 1798

Nicolai Abildgaard created this relief portraying "Thetis Immersing her Infant Son Achilles in the River Styx to Make him Invulnerable." Abildgaard, working in the late 18th-early 19th century, was part of an intellectual environment steeped in the ideals of the Enlightenment, yet grappling with its limitations. This work presents a key scene from the myth of Achilles, a narrative loaded with gendered expectations, and the burden of immortality. Here, the goddess Thetis attempts to subvert fate by dipping her son into the River Styx, which was believed to grant invulnerability. The emotional stakes are high: a mother's desperate attempt to protect her child from the inescapable grip of destiny. We witness her agency in seeking to defy the natural order, challenging the boundaries of mortality. Notice how Abildgaard renders the figures, caught between classical ideals and raw human emotion. Thetis's gesture is both protective and precarious, Achilles's vulnerability is palpable, and the silent observer reminds us of the ever-present shadow of death. This relief becomes a meditation on the power, but also on the limits of human action.