Chiron Teaches Magic to Achilles

Gaetano Zompini, after Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of a centaur and animals surrounded by archetypal rural paraphernalia. The drawing shows a centaur crouched over an open flame next to a pot. Two human figures and another smaller figure stand behind the centaur under a stone archway. The centaur has aged features and a long beard on his human torso. Two sheep are seen on the left side near a wall with pots of plants and flowers. Various objects such as a mortar and pestle, pots, and vessels are scattered around. The composition and shading provide depth and texture typical of detailed line work in etchings.