The Palladium

The Palladium stands within a temple as the sacred safeguard of Troy. According to the chapter, the image of Pallas arrives from the sky, and an oracle promises that the city will remain secure while it possesses the statue. A duplicate is made to protect the original from theft.

The surrounding text follows the removal of the image by Ulysses and Diomedes, then records traditions of its journey to Italy. It also questions the statue's supposed celestial origin. Architecture, guardian figures and the small cult image turn this plate into a meditation on the power invested in an object.

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 52 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 52.

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.

Compare the museum original with the Surrealium edition, then order the finished work as a fine-art print or canvas. No subscription is required to purchase. Customisation is available to active Fable subscribers.