The Trojan Women Setting Fire to Their Fleet

The Trojan Women Setting Fire to Their Fleet, painted by Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) in 1643, is a masterwork of classical landscape painting executed in oil on canvas. This historical painting draws its dramatic subject directly from Virgil’s Aeneid, specifically Book V. The scene depicts the moment when the distraught Trojan women, weary of continuous sea travel following the fall of Troy, attempt to end their exhausting voyage by setting fire to the remaining fleet of ships anchored in Sicily.

As is typical of Lorrain, the narrative drama is seamlessly integrated within a sweeping, idealized landscape bathed in a warm, atmospheric light. While The Trojan Women Setting Fire to Their Fleet features specific figural action, Lorrain’s primary concern remains the careful composition and illumination of the expansive scenery. Figures of the women are shown in various states of agitation near the burning ships, attempting to destroy their means of passage, but they are visually subordinated to the grand, classical ruins and distant mountains characteristic of the Roman Campagna landscape style. The meticulous layering of paint creates a sense of deep recession, emphasizing the vastness of the sea journey the Trojans sought to end.

This piece demonstrates the artist’s mature application of the poesia ideal, wherein the setting serves as a vehicle for profound historical and emotional content drawn from the Aeneid. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Though often studied in reproduction, those interested in classical art history can find that high-quality prints of this public domain artwork are frequently utilized for educational resources globally, showcasing Lorrain’s mastery of light and classical composition.