Pen and brown ink, over black chalk, heightened with white and blue gouache, framing lines in brown ink, on blue paper, 287 x 395 mm. Provided with original Atelier mark 'MIVB' (L.1881)
The fallen Trojan hero Hector, is lamented by Hermes. In a previous scene of Homer's Iliad, Achilles had desecrated the body by dragging it around Troy with his war chariot. The indignation of this event can be read on the facial expression of Zeus, ultimately leading to the fall of Achilles. The drawing fits well within Van Bree's classicizing works, made during and after his long stay in Rome in 1821. The drawing was most likely made alongside other sheets depicting the Trojan war, such as a similar drawing in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, depicting Achilles lamenting the death of Patroclos (RPK-T-1958-181)
