Phineus Delivered From The Harpies By Calais And Zethes

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Phineus Delivered From The Harpies By Calais And Zethes
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, Phineus is a blind seer. He appears in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts. They discover him being tortured by Harpies, monstrous winged women, who steal his food everyday. When he hears the Argonauts coming, Phineus calls for help. He says the Argonauts Calais and Zetes are destined to save him. They drive the Harpies away. In gratitude the seer tells Jason the route to Colchis, site of the golden fleece.