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Notes
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Phaeton, son of Helios (later associated with the god Apollo), with help from Aurora (Dawn) and the Hours, has taken his father’s chariot of the sun and is out of control. The four horses gallop across the menacing sky with the chariot's wheels sparking, while the inexperienced Phaeton strains to hang on. However, Jupiter's thunderbolt has struck and soon the chariot will be wrecked and Phaethon will fall to his death. The mythological story is told in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'. The tale holds a moral for those who aspire to that which is beyond their capabilities. The painting is signed by the artist. It is a rare subject for the famous painter of horses and lacks his usual quality. Turner, when asked his opinion of Stubb's work on a visit to Saltram House in 1812, replied with the monosyllabic answer 'Fine.
Title
The Fall of Phaëton
Date
1777
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 96.5 x W 122 cm
Accession number
872175
Acquisition method
accepted in lieu of death duties on the estate of Edmund, 4th Earl of Morley; transferred from HM Treasury, 1957
Work type
Painting
National Trust, Saltram
Plympton, Plymouth, Devon PL7 1UH England
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