Leander Crosses the Hellespont

Leander swims the Hellespont towards the light Hero keeps burning in her tower. The chapter places the lovers on opposite shores at Sestos and Abydos and explains how the lamp guides their secret meetings. When a storm prevents the crossing, Leander's impatience leads him back into the dangerous water.

The surrounding account follows the loss of both lovers. Here the tower's small light and the vast dark sea give their separation a visible scale. The nocturnal engraving is at once a maritime drama and an image of the fragile distance between a destination and safety.

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 37 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 37.

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.

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