Aeëtes Gathers the Limbs of Absyrtes (Tandis qu'il fait les membres ramasser, Grecs font devoir de leurs voiles haulser...), from "Jason and the Golden Fleece"
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 6 5/16 x 9 1/8 in. (16 x 23.2 cm) Sheet: 7 1/2 x 11 7/16 in. (19 x 29 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this dramatic engraving from 1563, titled *Aeëtes Gathers Limbs of Absyrtes*, French engraver René Boyvin after designs by Flemish artist Leonard Thiry, captures pivotal moment from the ancient Greek myth of *Jason and the Golden Fce*. King Aeëtes of Colchis frantically collects the dismembered body of his son Absyes—scattered by Jason's sorceress lover Medea as a diversion—while the Greek heroes raise their sails to flee with the prized golden fleece aboard the Argo. The scene pulses with tension, featuring muscular male nudes, bustling ships, and boats amid a chaotic seascape. Part of a ...
About the Artist
René Boyvin|Leonard Thiry · 1525–1580
French, Angers ca. 1525–1598 or 1625/6 Angers