Berenice, wife of Antiochus Theos, and her son take refuge in Daphne
1790–1800
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (8.3 x 12 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Spencer Bickerton, 1933
Accession Number
33.68.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, artist Edward Francis Burney a dramatic moment from ancient Hellenistic history in this intimate drawing, *Berenice, Wife Antiochus Theos, and Her Son Take Refuge in Daphne* (1790–1800). Burney, alassical draftsman and nephew of novelist Frances Burney, often classical subjects, reflecting the era's fascination with antiquity amid the Enlightenment's revival of Greek and Roman narratives. Here, he illustrates Berenice Syra— of Ptolemy II of Egypt and wife of Seleucid king Antiochus II Theos (r. 261–246 BCE)—fleeing with her young son to the sacred grove of Daphne near...
About the Artist
Edward Francis Burney · 1760–1848
Comment on works: Portraits, history