John Gibson RA, Achilles and Lycaon.
Pen and brown ink on cream wove paper. 263 mm x 184 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
This image is not available to download. To licence this image for commercial purposes, contact our Picture Library at picturelibrary@royalacademy.org.uk
Achilles and Lycaon
John Gibson RA (1790 - 1866)
RA Collection: Art
A pen and ink sketch of two fighting male figures. One stands with his sword raised in his right hand while the other kneels at his feet with his shield and helmet on the ground. This is probably the scene where Achilles finds Lycaon, a Trojan whom he had already sold into slavery, 'totally unarmed, without his helmet, shield, or spear, for he'd thrown these on the ground, exhausted'. Homer describes how,
'With one hand, Lycaon grabbed Achilles' knee.
His other clutched the spear, refusing to let go.
He begged for mercy, addressing Achilles'.
However, Achilles took no notice and instead raised his sword and struck Lycaon on the neck before flinging his body into the river.
The drawing is in sketchy pen and ink outline within a rectangular pen and ink border. It was engraved and published in Imitations of Drawings by John Gibson , R.A. Sculptor, Engraved by G. Wenzel and L. Prosseda, Plate 16.
Object details
263 mm x 184 mm
Start exploring the RA Collection
- Explore art works, paint-smeared palettes, scribbled letters and more...
- Artists and architects have run the RA for 250 years.
Our Collection is a record of them.
Related articles
-
![Richard Cosway RA, Richard and Maria Cosway, and Ottobah Cugoano (detail)]()
Our Collection
6 months ago
Untold Stories
Recent research reveals how the Royal Academy’s founding artists worked amidst Britain’s imperial expansion in the 18th century, the transatlantic slave trade, and a growing abolitionist movement.
-
![Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA,, Self-portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA]()
Our Collection
1 year ago
Creative inspiration today from the first President of the Royal Academy
The RA’s founding President Joshua Reynolds may have shaken up the art world when he delivered his ‘Discourses’ lectures, but are they still relevant now? We take a closer look at what artists and art-lovers can learn from the series today.
-
![Emma Stibbon RA, Collapsed Whaling Station, Deception Island, Antarctica]()
Our Collection
1 year ago
Video: Apocalyptic printmaking and extreme environments with Emma Stibbon RA
Watch Emma Stibbon describes the unforgiving conditions and dramatic landscapes that inspired her display in the Collection Gallery.
-
![RA Library]()
Our Collection
2 years ago
RA Collections Decolonial Research Project
Over the past year, our team has been investigating the links between the RA and its colonial past. In our first post on this subject, we offer an update on this work, and capture how we’re documenting associations between 18th- and 19th-century Royal Academicians and colonial activities
