Tiresias

at the Grand Trianon in the Park of the Palace of Versailles

Peinture de René-Antoine HOUASSE, “Minerva and Tiresias”, qui se trouve au Grand Trianon au Château de Versailles
Minerva and TiresiasMinerva at first ground, rendered Tiresias in the center, sightless, Bibliotheca, Book III, chapter 6 paragraph 7.

At the Grand Trianon (opens in a new tab), in the Salon des Seigneurs, is a painting by René-Antoine HOUASSE (opens in a new tab), Minerva and Tiresias.

This painting is a part of a serie called History of Minerva as Minerva and Arachne (opens in a new tab).

Minerva (opens in a new tab) at first ground makes Tiresias in the center becoming sightless, as Pseudo-Apollodorus (opens in a new tab) tells in Book III of the Bibliotheca (opens in a new tab).

Here's the text.

Minerva and Tiresias according to text of Book III of the Bibliotheca

  1. But Pherecydes says that he was blinded by Minerva;
  2. for Chariclo was dear to Minerva...
  3. [as they were at the bath together]
  4. and Tiresias saw the goddess stark naked,
  5. and she covered his eyes with her hands,
  6. and so rendered him sightless.
  7. And when Chariclo asked her to restore his sight,
  8. she could not do so,
  9. but by cleansing his ears she caused him to understand every note of birds;
  10. and she gave him a staff of cornel-wood,
  11. wherewith he walked like those who see.

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, Book III, chapter 6 paragraph 7.