Amphion Builds the Walls of Thebes

Amphion plays his lyre and the stones of Thebes move into place. The chapter recounts the childhood of Amphion and his brother Zethus, their recovery of the city and the musician's gift from Mercury. Walls, towers and palaces rise through harmony rather than ordinary labour.

The explanatory discussion compares the marvel with accounts of musical innovation and civic building. The print gives sound architectural force: suspended blocks and ordered facades make the act of listening seem capable of constructing an entire city.

Historical context is adapted from the accompanying commentary by Antoine de La Barre de Beaumarchais. Its interpretations reflect the period in which the book was published.

This edition follows plate 45 in Le Temple des Muses. The complete historical page and its explanatory text remain available in the source record. Source attribution: Bernard Picart and other engravers, Le Temple des Muses (1749 edition). Museum date: 1749 (publication). Source medium: Engraving, inner pictorial scene. Source portfolio: Le Temple des Muses, plate 45.

The inner illustration has been straightened and extracted from its surrounding engraved frame, caption and paper. The comparison shows that extracted engraving beside Surrealium's contemporary colour interpretation.

Surrealium's contemporary AI-assisted colour interpretation takes this print as its starting point. The colours are interpretive choices made for this edition.

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