The themes depicted in the myth of the fall of Troy inspired ancient Greek tragedies, such as the Trojan Women of Euripides, and other works by writers and dramatists of ancient Rome and of later periods. The subject has also inspired many artists from ancient times to the current day.

The universal and powerful themes of the suffering of the most vulnerable—women, children, and the elderly—still have relevance and resonance.

This gallery presents a selection of artworks depicting these events, including paintings and ancient Greek vases.

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Image credits

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin The Death of Priam, 1817, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jules Lefebvre, The Death of Priam , 1861, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts

Photo: VladoubidoOo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Merry-Joseph Blondel, Hecuba and Polyxena, after 1814, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Tyrrhenian Group, Timiades Painter: Neoptolemus sacrificing Polyxena after the capture of Troy. c 570–550 BCE. British Museum

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen (Jastrow). Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. via Wikimedia Commons

Cassandra and Ajax, Red figure krater c 350–340 BCE

Photo: Carlo Raso, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Kodros Painter, Ajax and Kassandra. c 440–430 BCE. Louvre

Photo: Bibi Saint-Pol, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin Andromache and Pyrrhus. 1810. Louvre

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

François-Guillaume Ménageot, Astyanax taken away from his mother’s arms, oil painting. 1783. Museum of Fine Arts, Angers

Photo: Kosmos Society

Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant La mort d’Astyanax. 1868.

Photo: VladoubidoOo, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. via Wikimedia Commons

Amaxias Painter: Recovery of Helen by Menelaos, Side B of Attic black-figure amphora. c 550 BCE.

Bibi Saint-Pol, adapted, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. via WIkimedia Commons

Menelaos recovering Helen, side A of neck amphora. c 540 BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. via Wikimedia Commons

Print, 1889, based on Frederic Leighton Andromache in Captivity. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. via Wikimedia Commons

Detail from de Carl Robert, Reconstruction of the ancient painting Iliupersis by Polygnotus. 1893.

public domain, via WIkimedia Commons

Note: Images have been selected from pictures that are freely available with open source or Creative Commons licenses or from photographs sent in by community members for the purpose. The images in this post are intended to suggest the subject, rather than illustrate exactly—as such, they may be from other periods, subjects, or cultures. Attributions are based where possible by those shown by museums, or on Wikimedia Commons, at the time of publication on this website.

Images accessed November 2019.

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Hélène, Janet, and Sarah are members of the Kosmos Society.