Tantalus’s Torment

48.5 x 32 cm (19.1 x 12.6 inches).
Tantalus’s Torment
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, Tantalus kills his son Pelops and serves him up in a banquet for gods to test their ability to see everything. As punishment, Tantalus must forever stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree. The fruit are just out of reach, and the water recedes each time he tries to drink. The myth is the origin of the word "tantalising".