Le Jeune Astianax qu’Andromaque avoit caché dans le tombeau d’Hector est arraché des bras de sa Mere par les ordres d'Ulisse (Young Astianax, who Andromache Hid in Hector's Tomb, is Seized from his Mother's Arms by Ulysses' Orders)

Art Historical Context

This dramatic print captures a pivotal moment from Greek mythology, as recounted in ancient sources like Euripides’ *The Trojan Women*. Young Astyanax, the son of the fallen Trojan hero Hector, had been hidden by his mother Andromache inside Hector’s tomb to protect him from the victorious Greeks. Here, the boy is forcibly seized from her arms on the orders of Ulysses (Odysseus), who fears the child could grow up to avenge Troy. The composition conveys intense emotion through Andromache’s desperate grasp and the soldiers’ determined advance, reflecting the 18th-century fascination with classic...