Iphis and Anaxarete

Anaxarete stands transformed into stone, the final image in the tragic story of Iphis's unreturned attachment. The chapter tells how she looks upon his funeral procession after his death and loses the capacity to move. The hardening of the body externalises the emotional hardness attributed to her by the narrator.

The commentary treats the metamorphosis as Ovid's poetic invention. Its moral judgement belongs to that historical telling, rather than an obligation to return another person's affection. The engraving's still figure and imposing architectural setting give the episode the distance and silence of a memorial.

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 53 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 53.

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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