Phocion, a noble Athenian general, was condemned to death by his enemies and forced to drink hemlock. His body was carried outside the city walls, in the outskirts of Megara, where it was cremated. The scene depicted here shows Phocion's widow gathering the ashes to transport them back to Athens, where they were accorded an honourable burial once the tide of political opinion had changed. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.

Provenance

Painted for M.Serisier, in 1648; Lord Derby, Knowsley Hall from 1782.