The Fury of Athamas

sculpture by Flaxman

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June 29, 2026

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"The Fury of Athamas" is a sculpture by the English artist John Flaxman, created between 1790 and 1794. It depicts a scene from Greek mythology concerning Athamas, the king of Orchomenus. Athamas, driven mad by the goddess Hera, tragically slays his son Learchus. His wife, Ino, then throws herself and their other son into the sea to escape. This myth, which may reflect ancient customs of human sacrifice, was a significant source of inspiration for Flaxman, who was a leading figure in the Neoclassical style in England. Flaxman's work often drew from classical literature and aimed to impart a moral purpose.12

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John Flaxman
…ambitious academic groups such as The Fury of Athamas (1790–94) and Cephalus and Aurora (1790), but his book illustrations had far greater importance. His Iliad and Odyssey (1793), Aeschylus (1795), and Dante’s Divine Comedy (1802) soon became widely known and, with their clean linear rhythms, contributed much to the spread…
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…ambitious academic groups such as The Fury of Athamas (1790–94) and Cephalus and Aurora (1790), but his book illustrations had far greater importance. His Iliad and Odyssey (1793), Aeschylus (1795), and Dante’s Divine Comedy (1802) soon became widely known and, with their clean linear rhythms, contributed much to the spread…
Read More

Neoclassical art
Relation to the Baroque and the Rococo
…terror, as in the marble The Fury of Athamas (1790–94), the violence seems forced and unconvincing. Indeed, there exist in Neoclassical sculpture hardly any convincing images of rage. The concept of antique calmness permeated European art. Canova, with his Hercules and Lichas (1796), produced a large marble of exaggerated expression…
Read More
…terror, as in the marble The Fury of Athamas (1790–94), the violence seems forced and unconvincing. Indeed, there exist in Neoclassical sculpture hardly any convincing images of rage. The concept of antique calmness permeated European art. Canova, with his Hercules and Lichas (1796), produced a large marble of exaggerated expression…
Read More