Cradled against the brawny chest of Euphorbos, little Oedipus’ downy flaxen head is tucked beneath the shepherd’s chin, his palm resting against that stalwart pectoral. It is unusual to see men carrying babies or children in Greek art, and even more unusual to encounter such a tender illustration (tender despite the child’s somewhat unsettling adult expression).
This is the moment when Oedipus’ father (the Theban king) has tasked his servant (the shepherd Euphorbos…both figures are handily named by inscription) to remove his young son from the home and abandon him in this wilderness so that he might never grow up to fulfill the ugly prophecy of patricide and incest. The shepherd disobeyed the order and delivered the child instead to the childless Corinthian king and queen.
For better or for worse, Oedipus would live on to kill his father, marry his mother, and sire a miserable brood. The painting is top rate and attributed to the mid-5th century master, the ‘Achilles Painter’, who does a fair bit of editorializing: his shepherd is given over-sized, muscly proportions and an oh so comely face, striding forward heroically with his helpless charge.
Excerpting this particular scene is typical of the Achilles Painter’s stripped-down approach to narrative. He is a master of suspense, relying on his audience’s visual literacy to instantly recognise the visual cue and complete the tragic myth for themselves, while zeroing in on the emotional tenor at its heart.
