Articles
Oil on canvas representing an ancient rider (soldier) on a horse, the other horse covered with a lion skin, most probably a mythological representation of Achilles and his two divine horses Xanthe and Balios *, from the 17th century.
This table is in good condition and is very decorative. It was re-coated later.
A note: traces of restorations on the canvas, posterior frame, wear of time, see photos (see red arrows).
In Greek mythology, Xanthe and Balios are two divine horses. Xanthe and Balios are received by Pélée as a wedding gift. During the Trojan War, they pulled the chariot of Achilles under the leadership of the coachman Automédon, their prowess is mentioned several times. When Patroclus is killed by Hector, they move away from the fight, cry and disobey. Later, Achilles returns to battle and urges them to avenge Patroclus, when Xanthe responds by lowering his head and letting his mane hang down, while Hera has just endowed him with human speech. He announces that he cannot change anything about Achilles' fate and predicts the imminent death of the hero, whose fate is to be tamed by a god and a man. After the disappearance of Achilles, Zeus, having seen the horses cry, complains these immortal beings for the misfortunes which they lived in men, and does not tolerate that Hector can recover them. He endows them with a passion that allows them to bring back their Automédon check unharmed. The god Poseidon finally recovers these horses.
