Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed [SEP] creator
Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed
Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed, occasionally formerly known as The Imprudence of Candaules, is a oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1830. It shows a scene from the "Histories" by Herodotus, in which Candaules, king of Lydia,
1824–1835) Royal Academician "Candaules".
Of Etty's two original works exhibited at the RA in 1830, "The Storm", inspired by Psalm 22, attracted little interest and was dismissed by "The Gentleman's Magazine"—typically a staunch supporter of Etty's work—as "a sad failure". The other painting exhibited was "Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed", which was to prove one of the most controversial works of Etty's