File:Herculanum et Pompéi, recueil général des peintures, bronzes, mosaïques, etc., découverts jusqu'à ce jour, et reproduits d'apreès Le antichita di Ercolano, Il Museo borbonico, et tous les ouvrages (14596689207).jpg

English: (translated relevant text) The daughter of Cassiopeia, delivered by Perseus, burned to contemplate this terrible head of the Gorgon, the aspect of which had petrified Atlas, and Phineus with his companions, and the king of Seriphos, and the sea monster himself, who, but for the hero's intervention, would have devoured the unfortunate Andromeda. Perseus knew too well that if he satisfied his wife's desire by showing her the fatal talisman directly, he would infallibly ruin her: he had only one way to satisfy her without danger, and that was to make her see the image of Medusa reflected in clear water. The painter has represented the two spouses at the time when Perseus employs this expedient. The two bodies of the hero and the young woman, resplendent with beauty, and their graceful heads, surmounted by the horrible figure of the Gorgon, form a very happy group: we particularly notice the naive pose of Andromeda and her features where the feeling of satisfied curiosity is mixed with a certain terror. The folds of the yellowish drapery of the young woman, like those of her husband's red chlamys, are perfectly understood. One will perhaps be astonished not to see at the side of Perseus his curved sword, his terrible harp, but only a straight sword: in this the painter has given proof of a profound knowledge of ancient myths; for, according to the best authorities, Perseus, after having married Andromeda and having placed Dictys on the throne of the avaricious Polydectus, restored to Mercury his heels, to Pluto his helmet, to Minerva her shield, and to Vulcan the sword called a harp.

Identifier: herculanumetpomp18703barr (find matches)
Title: Herculanum et Pompéi, recueil général des peintures, bronzes, mosaïques, etc., découverts jusqu'à ce jour, et reproduits d'apreès Le antichita di Ercolano, Il Museo borbonico, et tous les ouvrages analogues
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Barré, Louis, 1799-1857 Roux, H. (Henri), Sr Bouchet, Adolphe
Subjects: Art, Greco-Roman
Publisher: Paris, Firmin Didot frères, fils et cie
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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Text Appearing Before Image:
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JÏ.ÛUZC axn&>- M0 . B°.V.9.P.39. psibs^ss w^ &Mwmmm Sf;:>rs/J f///(/ r r;/tr//r>/sz&/fa DEUXIÈME SÉRIE. 13 Socrate sur les richesses naturelles, soutien de la viehumaine, de la liberté et de la religion (1); tout cequajoute Aristote (a) pour élever lagriculture au-dessusde la guerre, et pour exalter les bienfaits de cette mèredes humains qui se charge si généreusement de nourrirtous ses fils ; tout ce que Xénophon et Gicéron aprèslui (3) nous rapportent des goûts et des talents du jeuneCyrus ; toutes les recommandations enfin que ce mêmeXénophon adresse aux Athéniens sur le parti à tirer dela fertilité de leur territoire et de leur position maritime :toute cette éloquence classique réunie ne serait ni aussipuissante, ni aussi persuasive que la peinture. Il y adailleurs ici quelque chose de plus que lidée duneprotection commune accordée à lagriculture et au com-merce : on peut y voir une maxime déconomie publiquebeaucoup plus avancée, à s

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