Image gallery
Hendrick Goltzius
Phaethon, 1588
About the object
Phaeton overestimates himself when he wants to drive his father Helios' sun chariot for a day. He loses control of his quadriga, crashes down to Earth and triggers a catastrophe with far-reaching consequences. The moralising aspect is made clear in the epigrams surrounding the circular format, which warn against excessive ambition.