Phaeton Struck Down By Jupiter's Thunder

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Phaeton Struck Down By Jupiter's Thunder
This spectacular baroque engraving is from Bernard Picart's Le Temple Des Muses.
The engraving was made in 1733, is from the first edition and is an original antique. It has captions in French, English, German, and Dutch.
It is in very good condition for its age.
In Greek mythology, Phaeton was the son of Phoebus (the Sun). He was allowed to drive the Sun's chariot for one day. He veered too close to the earth causing rivers to dry and soil to burn. Zeus (Jupiter) struck down Phaeton with a thunderbolt, sending him to his death. The world would have been destroyed by flames if Zeus had not destroyed the youth.