
by Herbert James Draper, 1898
British painter Herbert James Draper painted this poignant scene in 1898, showing sea nymphs mourning the fallen Icarus. The youth lies dead on rocky shore, his melted wax wings crumpled beside him. The nymphs examine his body with tender curiosity, their glistening forms contrasting with his pale, lifeless flesh.
This monumental canvas (182.9 × 155.6 cm) demonstrates Draper's mastery of Academic Art mythology. The subject of Icarus's hubris and fall remained popular with Victorian audiences. Now at Tate Britain in London.
Other masterpieces from the Academic Art movement

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1873
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

Alexandre Cabanel, 1863
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1888
Private Collection, Unknown

Rosa Bonheur, 1853
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Frederic Leighton, 1895
Tate Britain, London

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1879
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1909
Tate Britain, London

Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1866
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection