Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , Jupiter and Danaë , 1736

Johann Baptist Drechsler , Still life with carnations, roses, hollyhocks and other flowers in a sculpted bronze urn with butterflies in an alcove , 1786

Gustav-Adolf Mossa, Hamlet and the Skull , 1909

Angel Planells , Midday Sorrow , 1932

John Bulloch Souter , The Birth of Venus , 1930

Alberto Giacometti, The Couple, 1927

Aubrey Beardsley, Dreams, 1894

Odilon Redon , The Buddha , 1905

Jean-Jacques Lequeu, Et Nous Aussi Nous Seront Mères, Car.. !, 1794

Edgar Ende, The Dancer on the Ball, 1948

Max Ernst , The Nymph Echo , 1936

Companion piece

Gustave Doré , The Family of Street Acrobats: the Injured Child , 1873

Joseph Henry Lynch , The Water Nymph , 1960s

Egon Schiele , Seated Girl Facing Front, 1911

Gustav-Adolf Mossa, Satiated Siren , 1905

Hans Bellmer , La Demi-Poupée , 1971

Ilya Repin , Follow me, Satan (Temptation of Jesus Christ) , 1902

Colima Culture, Dancer with Crocodile Helmet , Pre-Columbian Mexico

Diodorus says that Sardanapalus, son of Anakyndaraxes, exceeded all previous rulers in sloth and luxury. He spent his whole life in self-indulgence. He dressed in women's clothes and wore make-up. He had many concubines, female and male. He wrote his own epitaph, which stated that physical gratification is the only purpose of life. His lifestyle caused dissatisfaction within the Assyrian empire, allowing a conspiracy against him to develop led by "Arbaces". An alliance of Medes, Persians and Babylonians challenged the Assyrians. Sardanapalus stirred himself to action and routed the rebels several times in battle, but failed to crush them. Believing he had defeated the rebels, Sardanapalus returned to his decadent lifestyle, ordering sacrifices and celebrations. But the rebels were reinforced by new troops from Bactria. Sardanapalus's troops were surprised during their partying, and were routed. Sardanapalus returned to Nineveh to defend his capital, while his army was placed under the command of his brother-in-law, who was soon defeated and killed. Having sent his family to safety, Sardanapalus prepared to hold Nineveh. He managed to withstand a long siege, but eventually heavy rains caused the Tigris to overflow, leading to the collapse of one of the defensive walls. To avoid falling into the hands of his enemies, Sardanapalus had a huge funeral pyre created for himself on which were piled "all his gold, silver and royal apparel". He had his eunuchs and concubines boxed in inside the pyre, burning himself and them to death. ~ Wikipedia

Eugène Delacroix , Death of Sardanapalus , 1827

Hugues Merle, The Lunatic of Etretat, 1871

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