In the
Death of Sardanapalus, inspired by the work of another Romantic, the poet
Byron, Delacroix painted an apotheosis of cruelty. The composition, all reds
and golds, portrays the holocaust of the legendary Assyrian king, destroying
his possessions before committing suicide. The insurgents are attacking his
castle; all is lost; stretched out on a sumptuous bed at the summit of an
immense pyre, Sardanapalus orders eunuchs and palace officers to cut the
throats of his women, his pages, and even his favourite dogs and horses; none
of the objects that have served his pleasure are to survive him. His women are
placed on a level with his horses and dogs.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Death of Sardanapalus
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