ITALIAN, 19TH CENTURY

Achilles was the legendary Greek hero of the Trojan War, and the central character of Homer's Iliad. Depictions of the great warrior, inspired by antique images, were particularly popular in the neo-classical period. In 1823 the 6th Duke of Devonshire commissioned a marble group of The Wounded Achilles from Carlo Albacini in Rome, and in 1856 Prince Albert commissioned a bust of Achilles from William Theed (Buckingham Palace, RCIN 2047) that compares closely to the present depiction of a youth wearing a delicately carved helmet surmounted by an elaborate plume. Feted for his strength, Achilles' helmet is carved with two prowling lions, historically designated as 'the King of the Beasts'.