Illustration to the Iliad 1795

John Flaxman made this line engraving titled, Illustration to the Iliad, to accompany Homer's epic poem. Flaxman, working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was part of a Neoclassical movement which looked to ancient Greece and Rome for ideals of beauty, order, and civic virtue. The image depicts Sleep and Death carrying the body of Sarpedon from the battlefield. Sarpedon, a hero and son of Zeus, was killed in battle. The figures, rendered in simple, elegant lines, float horizontally across the scene. Note the horizontal lines of clouds, a backdrop which emphasizes the horizontal passage of the body. Flaxman has reduced the narrative to its essential components, focusing on universal themes such as mortality, mourning, and the role of fate. The image encapsulates the emotional weight of loss and the quiet solemnity of honoring the dead. The print evokes a sense of reverence and contemplation of the human condition.