The Fall of Phaeton (after Giuseppe Passeri)

This eighteenth-century etching by François-Philippe Charpentier demonstrates the ongoing cultural fascination with mythological themes after the Renaissance period. It illustrates the Greek myth in which Phaeton, son of Apollo the sun god, asks permission to ride his father’s fiery sun chariot in order to claim his birthright. Unable to control the chariot’s horses, Phaeton’s vehicle swerves too close to the earth and sets the African continent on fire. An angry Jupiter stops him with a thunderbolt, causing Phaeton’s death. The etching depicts the moment when Phaeton tumbles off his chariot and plunges into the river Eridanos below. The absence of wings underscores the pathos of Phaeton’s humanity as his twisted, upside-down body struggles to remain aloft in the sky while in rapid freefall.