  About the Artwork
  
  
  This small panel is part of a series of eight oil sketches made for a group of tapestries depicting the story of Achilles, one of the heroes of the Greek epic poem the Illiad. As if on a stage, all the important characters are present. The painting is remarkable for the apparent swiftness and ease of its execution, the brightness of palette, and the sensitive rendering of the protagonists' emotions.
During the Greeks' campaign against Troy, Achilles had been awarded the lovely Briseis as part of his share of the booty. When the expedition leader Agamemnon took her for himself, Achilles refused to participate in any further battles. He reconsidered, however, after his best friend Patroclus was killed and Agamemnon restored Briseis untouched to him.
  
  
  Title
  Briseis Given Back to Achilles
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1630 and 1631
  
  Artist
  Peter Paul Rubens
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1577-1640
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Flemish
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on oak panel
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 17 7/8 × 26 5/8 inches (45.4 × 67.6 cm)
  Framed: 22 5/8 × 31 3/8 × 2 3/8 inches (57.5 × 79.7 × 6 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  53.356
  
  
  Copyright
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