Why it matters
The poet Alcaeus of Mytilene plays the kithara while Sappho and her companions listen closely, in the late 7th century BC. The painting illustrates a passage by the poet Hermesianax recorded by Athenaeus.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1881.
- It measures 66 × 122 cm.
- The marble seating is based on the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens.
Based on the Wikipedia article Sappho and Alcaeus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
