History Gallery

70 readers

12 users here now

A place to share historical artworks!

More History:

!historymemes@piefed.social
!historyruins@piefed.social
!historyart@piefed.social
!historyartifacts@piefed.social
!historyphotos@piefed.social
!historymusic@quokk.au
!historygallery@quokk.au

founded 2 weeks ago

MODERATORS

Deceptichum@quokk.au

A Eunuch's Dream by Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ, 1874, France (infosec.pub)

submitted 2 days ago by Deceptichum@quokk.au to c/historygallery@quokk.au

0 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Context: This painting, inspired by Charles Montesquieu's Persian Letters (published in 1721), depicts a eunuch who wanted to marry a harem slave. He experienced a vision of her while smoking his opium pipe, but her little companion holding a knife dripping with blood reminds us that the eunuch's anatomy precludes the fulfillment of his dream. The outline of a hand next to the signature is a khamsa, a symbol used to ward off evil.

Source

no comments (yet)

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

there doesn't seem to be anything here