The Lament For Icarus

This painting was inspired by the mythological story of Daedalus and his son, Icarus. King Minos imprisoned them on the island of Crete, but Daedalus was an inventor and built wings made from real feathers and wax so that they might fly freedom. However, Icarus flew too high, the sun melted the wax and he fell to his death. This painting is a study in preparation for a larger version of the same subject now in the Tate’s collection. Draper described it as a ‘completed study’ and it was sold to the collector George McCulloch (1848 - 1907).