HERBERT GANDY (BRITISH 1857-1934) HERBERT GANDY (BRITISH 1857-1934) The Sword of Damocles, oil on canvas 167 x 167 cm (65 3/4 x 65 3/4 in.) signed lower right PROVENANCE Kurt E. Schon, New Orleans, LA LOT NOTES Herbert Gandy`s carefully constructed composition featuring a strong central diagonal cutting across the painting creates a sense of drama, with our gaze inevitably settling on the unsheathed sword, precariously suspended above the weary figure of Damocles. The legend, as told by Cicero, maintains that after fielding envious praise heaped upon him by his fawning courtier Damocles, king Dionysius II of Syracuse proposed for them to switch places, allowing his steward to fully experience the position he so admired. Damocles eagerly accepted the offer, but found himself pleading to return to his old role when he discovered that Dionysius arranged for a sword to be hung by a single horsehair above the throne. Albeit surrounded by splendor and untold luxury, Gandy focused on the restless fear expressed by Damocles as he learned first-hand of the frequently unenviable danger faced by those in positions of power.