The Abduction of Deianira

William Hamilton

1770–80 · Pen and black ink over graphite, with watercolor · Drawings and Prints

Hamilton belonged to a generation determined to expand the scope of the arts in Britain. He traveled to Rome as a teenager to study with Antonio Zucchi, returned to England to make decorative paintings for Robert Adam, then entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1769. From that point forward he focused on historical and literary subjects, together with portaits. This early drawing represents a naked woman carried off by a centaur. It may illustrate the Greek myth which tells of Deianira, the wife of Heracles, abducted by Nessus, a centaur-ferryman.

Artist

William Hamilton

Date

1770–80

Medium

Pen and black ink over graphite, with watercolor

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2015