Sisyphus's Stone

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Sisyphus's Stone
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, Sisyphus was a king punished by Zeus for cheating death. Zeus made him roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to tumble down every time, repeating this forever. Tasks that are laborious and futile are described as Sisyphean. Bernard Picart's engraving shows Sisyphus heaving the boulder up. Demons push it back down the hill. The background shows Tartarus, the flaming abyss that is a dungeon of torment. The ornate border includes dragons, serpents and owls.