Aeëtes Gathers the Limbs of Absyrtes (Tandis qu'il fait les membres ramasser, Grecs font devoir de leurs voiles haulser...), from "Jason and the Golden Fleece"

Art Historical Context

In this dramatic engraving from 1563, titled *Aeëtes Gathers Limbs of Absyrtes*, French engraver René Boyvin after designs by Flemish artist Leonard Thiry, captures pivotal moment from the ancient Greek myth of *Jason and the Golden Fce*. King Aeëtes of Colchis frantically collects the dismembered body of his son Absyes—scattered by Jason's sorceress lover Medea as a diversion—while the Greek heroes raise their sails to flee with the prized golden fleece aboard the Argo. The scene pulses with tension, featuring muscular male nudes, bustling ships, and boats amid a chaotic seascape. Part of a renowned series illustrating the epic tale, this print exemplifies mid-16th-century Renaissance printmaking's mastery. Engraving's fine lines allowed Boyvin to render intricate details—from rippling muscles and billowing sails to the mythological frenzy—in a compact plate size (6 5/16 x 9 1/8 in.). Produced during France's Fontainebleau School era, it reflects Mannerist influences with elongated figures and dynamic compositions, blending classical mythology with Northern European precision. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011), this work highlights how prints democratized grand narratives, making heroic legends accessible to collectors and scholars across Europe. A gripping window into Renaissance fascination with antiquity!

About the Artist

René Boyvin|Leonard Thiry · 1525–1580

French, Angers ca. 1525–1598 or 1625/6 Angers