Evadne throws herself on the Funeral Pile of her Husband Capaneus
1790–1800
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/4 × 4 5/8 in. (8.3 × 11.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Spencer Bickerton, 1933
Accession Number
33.69.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, British artist Edward Francis Burney captured a poignant moment from Greek mythology in *Evadne Throws Herself on the Funeral Pile Her Husband Capaneus (c. 1790–1800). The scene depicts the devoted widow Evadne's tragic act of self-immolation atop the pyre of her husband, Capaneus, a slain during the siege of Thebes in the epic tale of the Seven Against Thebes. This dramatic subject, drawn from ancient sources like Euripides' lost play *Suppliants*, resonated in the neoclassical era, where artists revived classical themes of heroism, fate, and profound love to explore...
About the Artist
Edward Francis Burney · 1760–1848
Comment on works: Portraits, history