Tantalus

This magnificent print by the Venetian artist Sanuto reproduces a lost painting by Titian that was commissioned by Mary of Hungary. Tantalus was subject to eternal punishment by the gods for having murdered his own son. The so-called torment of Tantalus is a state in which what one desires is always nearby and yet always remains tantalizingly out of reach. When Tantalus reaches for the fruit in the tree, the branches grow; and when he tries to drink the water it recedes.