The Beautiful Anthia Leading her Companions to the Temple of Diana in Ephesus

In The Beautiful Anthia Joseph Paelinck depicts an episode in an ancient Greek tale. During a parade in the temple of Artemis in Ephesus the proud warrior Abrocomeus met the beautiful Anthia. Eros, the god of love, was vexed by Abrocomeus’s indifference and contrived to make him fall passionately in love with the young woman. They married, but Eros’s revenge…

In The Beautiful Anthia Joseph Paelinck depicts an episode in an ancient Greek tale. During a parade in the temple of Artemis in Ephesus the proud warrior Abrocomeus met the beautiful Anthia. Eros, the god of love, was vexed by Abrocomeus’s indifference and contrived to make him fall passionately in love with the young woman. They married, but Eros’s revenge continued to persecute them. They were kidnapped by pirates, sold as slaves, separated from one another but eventually their love and fidelity helped them overcome their trials and tribulations. The story lends itself perfectly to propagating the nineteenth-century bourgeois moral values. The painting depicts the parade with Anthia in the centre and Abrocomeus to the right in his red coat. The theme, the balanced composition and the careful rendition contribute to making this painting an excellent example of the Classic ideal of Paelinck and other followers of Jacques-Louis David.