The Tomb of Phaethon

Jean François Millet painted The Tomb of Phaethon, though the early dating suggests either a cataloguing error or a different painter of the same name. The better-known Millet was a 19th-century French Barbizon school painter famous for his peasant subjects. Tempera on panel required careful preparation and a disciplined technique of hatched brushwork to build form and color — a demanding medium that rewarded the methodical workshop training standard in Renaissance painting practice.

Oil on canvas with technique reflecting the painter's artistic tradition. The subject and handling provide evidence for attribution and dating.