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an oil painting of a woman in a white dress and a man in a white shirta painting of a woman in a white dress holding a fanan image of a painting of a man with a beard and a mustachean old wooden picture frame with a drawing of a man on it
Medusa Auctioneers

2137 - French School, 19th century, Hero descends the stairs to vis…

Estimate €250
Sale commission
Description
French School, 19th century, Hero descends the stairs to visit Leander,signed with monogram. French School, 19th century, Hero descends the stairs to visit Leander,signed with monogram (bottom right), oil on canvas The story: Hero was a beautiful priestess of the goddess Aphrodite. She lived in a tall tower by the water in Sestos (on the European side of the Hellespont, the present-day Dardanelles). Across the strait, in Abydos (Asia), lived her secret lover: Leander. Because their love had to remain secret, Leander swam across the dangerous strait every night to be with her. To guide him in the dark, Hero descended the stairs of her tower to the water's edge, holding up a burning torch or lamp. Her fire was his compass. On a stormy autumn night, disaster struck. The strong wind blew out the flame of Hero's torch. Leander became disoriented in the raging waves, grew exhausted, and drowned. When Hero saw his lifeless body lying on the rocks by the water the next morning, in her deep grief she jumped from the tower to her death, to be reunited with him in the afterlife. 42 x 64 cm. bruto
About the sale The Late Summer Collection | Fine Silver, Bronzes, Jewellery, Chinese Arts and Porcelain, Art & Antiques
Auction location
Auction time 09/07/2026 at 6:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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