Tritons Carrying Off Nereids
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink, blue wash
Dimensions
8 11/16 x 14 1/4 in. (22.1 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alice F. Steiner, 1977
Accession Number
1977.188
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the spirited drawing *Tritons Carrying Offereids*, French artist François Perrier captures a whirlwind of mythological mayhem from classical antiquity. Rendered in pen and brown ink heightened with blue wash, this sheet (8 11/16 x 14 1/4 in.) depicts burly Tritons—merman sons of Poseidon—playfully abducting graceful Nereids, seas often linked to sailors' fortunes. Frolicking horses add to the dynamic frolic, evoking the sea's untamed energy in a composition brimming with motion. Perrier (c. 1590–1650), a Baroque draftsman who trained in Lyon and Rome, drew inspiration from ancient sculptur...