Paris and Oenone
1791
Before Paris sparked the Trojan War by running off with Helen, he lived as a shepherd on Mount Ida with his first love, the nymph Oenone. John Flaxman’s 1791 Neoclassical drawing captures a tender moment between the two, with a helmeted Paris leaning casually while Oenone touches his face affectionately. Surrounding them are lounging figures and a resting cow, emphasizing the peaceful pastoral life Paris is about to abandon. It’s a tragic setup: in the full myth, Paris leaves Oenone for Helen, and when he returns years later dying from a wound, she refuses to heal him out of spite before killing herself in grief.
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