George Dawe (1781-1829), England, Achilles mourning the death of Patroclus, 1803, oil paint on canvas. Gift of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, 1936
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The art of war
At twenty-two, George Dawe gained a Royal Academy gold medal for this painting, which reflects the Academy’s preference at the time for formal paintings of grand classical subjects.
The subject here is the legendary Greek warrior Achilles. He is mourning the death of his great friend Patroclus who, dressed in Achilles’ armour, has been killed leading the Greek troops against the Trojan army. Achilles’ mother, Thetis, cradles the dead hero.
Dawe was elected an associate then a full member of the Royal Academy. He enjoyed a very profitable ten years in Russia painting portraits of Russian army officers, but died shortly after his return to England in 1829. |
