Clytemnestra from the Battlements of Argos Watches for the Beacon Fires which are to Announce the Return of Agamemnon

In classical myth Clytemnestra murders her husband, Agamemnon, upon his return from the Trojan wars in revenge for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia. Leighton portrays Clytemnestra awaiting the beacons that will announce her husband’s return: grim and monumental - her gaze focused on the view ahead, her fingers knotted together with resolve. Leighton has set the painting at night, adding to the dramatic effect, the moonlight casting an eyrie glow over the scene. This painting was one of the earliest works by Leighton to enter the Museum’s collection, and was already on display at the house in 1900....