Acis, the Greek Romantic
Our chair was given the name ACIS; hence, it is not of our choice. However, we were pleasantly surprised by it, which also has a character in Greek mythology.
And no, this is not Krishna from Indian mythology, but a statue in the Parc de Versailles of Acis.
Acis, the romantic mortal shepherd, fell in love with the sea nymph Galatea on the island of Sicily. For those who don't know, this is the island with the active volcano Etna. Very beautiful and worth a trip.
Well, like all famous (or at least good) love stories, this one doesn't end happily. Acis was killed by a one-eyed Polyphemus, who threw a boulder at him. Poor Galatea was heartbroken. She turned Acis' into a river in Sicily.
This is a beautiful story about a lost love and appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses. However, we are not sure where this river Acis is located. Some say it is the Jaci River at the foot of Mount Etna, others say it is a town called Acium.
However, "any love story that does not lead to a happy ending" is typically useless in the eyes of painters, sculptors, musicians, etc.. The ones which fail are fun for them and hence they pour all their love to such stories.
There are many different paintings and sculptures on this theme that we have created a dedicated page for them.
Handel even created a small opera (HWV 49) with a text by John Gay. It later became a three-act serenade, which some consider to be one of the best pastoral operas. Even Mozart and Mendelssogn took up the work and created orchestrations for it.
Jean-Baptiste Lully loved tragedies, so it is not surprising that he created an opera piece "Acis et Galatée".
The Spanish poet Luis de Góngora y Argote wrote the famous "Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea," often referred to simply as Polifermo. The story was adapted into another opera by the great Spanish composer Antoni de Literes.
Joseph Hayden brought them to a happier ending for an imperial wedding in Austria.
Below are some YouTube links to get an idea: