Patroclus being carried to his funeral pyre as Achilles places a lock of hair on the body
ca. 1766
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 7 5/8 × 10 13/16 in. (19.3 × 27.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1986
Accession Number
1986.1062
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this poignant etching from around 1766, Swedish artist Johann Tobias Sergel a heart-wrenching moment from's *Iliad*: the funeral procession of Patroclus Achilles' beloved companion, as he is borne to his pyre. Achilles, grief-stricken, tenderly places a lock of his on the body—a classical ritual symbolizing profound loss and eternal bond. Sergel's neoclassical style, honed during his studies in Paris and Rome,uses the scene with dramatic tension and emotional depth, using fluid lines to evoke the heroism and tragedy of ancient Greek mythology. Created as an etching—a meticulous intaglio pr...