Telephus Healed by Achilles’ Spear

Telephus receives healing from the same spear that wounded him. The chapter explains the oracle that only the cause of the injury can provide its cure, and Ulysses's recognition that the words refer to Achilles' weapon. Rust from the iron is applied to the wound in the story's resolution.

The surrounding account places the episode before the expedition to Troy and describes Telephus's value as a guide. The intimate gathering around the injured figure makes this a scene of interpretation and reconciliation as well as healing; the historical remedy belongs to the myth, not to medical advice.

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 49 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 49.

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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