Althaea Putting the Fatal Log on the Fire

Executed in a stark chiaroscuro manner, the artist contrasts deep shadows with a bright, flickering flame, giving the scene a three‑dimensional quality. The sharp illumination on Althaea’s face and the glowing log emphasizes her emotional turmoil, while the indistinct forms of the Furies recede into darkness, enhancing the sense of looming menace.

The work is a preparatory drawing by Charles Le Brun’s collaborator, Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monnet, known as Picart. He produced the image while supervising the translation of Le Brun’s Meleager tapestry series into printed form. Picart’s drawings served as templates for engravers who later reproduced the scenes as prints.

The drawing belongs to a larger 17th‑century project that transformed a series of monumental tapestries depicting Meleager’s exploits into a set of engravings. This effort reflected the period’s interest in disseminating grand narrative cycles beyond the courtly setting of tapestry, making the myth accessible to a broader audience.