Cassandra’s Unheeded Prophecy

Cassandra warns Troy of a future its people refuse to believe. The chapter recounts Apollo's gift of prophecy and his punishment when she rejects him: he cannot remove her knowledge, but can prevent it from persuading anyone. Her accurate warnings become a source of isolation rather than authority.

The text continues through the city's fall and Cassandra's subsequent captivity. The engraving places her before a substantial public world of temples, streets and gathered people, making the gap between seeing clearly and being heard the centre of the composition.

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 51 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 51.

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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