nude male figure within cloud opening TC brandishing winged object, standing over large bird; 4 horses, a trough, and nude male tumble from sky at C; nude reclining bearded figure along an embankment with spilling water jars at LL; 3 recoiling nude women to his L; village at R; trees, rocks in background

Fall of Phaeton, 1553

Nicolas Béatrizet; Artist: After Michelangelo Buonarroti; Publisher: Antonio Lafreriexpand_more

Engravingexpand_more

The Winton Jones Endowment Fund for Prints and Drawingsexpand_more  2018.29

Not on Viewexpand_more

This is the age-old story of the absentee father and the inexperienced teenage driver. Each day, Helios, sun-god of ancient Greece, drove his chariot across the sky from dawn until dusk. He paid little attention to his son Phaeton. One day the boy went to Helios and asked him to demonstrate to all that he was his father. In response, Helios promised to grant Phaeton any wish. Helios was shocked when the boy asked to drive the chariot. He warned Phaeton that not even the mighty Jupiter could control the powerful team of horses. But Phaeton persisted, and Helios finally gave in. Phaeton cracked the whip, and the horses took off. Before long they careened out of control, and Jupiter had to intervene by striking Phaeton with a thunderbolt that sent him tumbling to the earth.

Béatrizet’s engraving is a contemporary translation of one of Michelangelo’s most famous drawings. The drawing itself was an object of wonder among Rome’s art lovers, but only a rarified audience had access to it. It was Béatrizet’s engraving that made the drawing recognizable throughout Europe.

file_downloadprintshare
arrow_back back
Details
Title
Fall of Phaeton
Artist Life
French (active Rome), 1512–1577
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2018.29
Provenance
Ludwig Maximilian von Biegeleben (Vienna, 1812-1872, Lugt 385). Probably sold at Litchfield County Auctions, Litchfield, Conn., February 15, 2017, lot 299. Thomas French Fine Art, Fairlawn, Ohio
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

800px

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

nude male figure within cloud opening TC brandishing winged object, standing over large bird; 4 horses, a trough, and nude male tumble from sky at C; nude reclining bearded figure along an embankment with spilling water jars at LL; 3 recoiling nude women to his L; village at R; trees, rocks in background

Error loading high resolution image. Report this problem.