Destruction of Troy, Aeneas Saves Anchises. A.M. 2820.

This is one of a group of drawings by British artist and book illustrator Edward Francis Burney, depicting scenes from Greek and Roman history and mythology. Aeneas was the son of the goddess Aphrodite and the mortal Anchises. This image shows Aeneas helping Anchises escape during the fall of Troy. Aeneas carries his father on his back through the burning city because he is no longer able to walk after being struck by a lightning bolt from Zeus - a punishment after Anchises boasted about his union with Aphrodite, despite her warning not to. Aeneas' wife, Creusa, and son, Ascanius, flee the city with them.