The subject for this painting is taken from homers Iliad.
Achilles, having argued with king Agamemnon over the possession of a slave (a spoil of war) has refused to take further part in the siege of Troy. Fearing the unrest of his army, Agamemnon sends ambassadors to the tent of Achilles in an attempt to placate him.
In my painting Achilles, the greatest warrior ever known sits naked, self contained and without need for any weapon, listening as the ambassador presents the case of the king. The ambassador, draped in finery pales in comparison to Achilles, a demi god whose body emits light.

The pictures frame is formed from multiple sections of recycled hardwoods cut in a shape adapted from a popular Greek shield design. These overlap to form the structure of the frame, echoing the Greek phalanx fighting system. The frames structure has then been painted with a design that illustrates the story of this particular struggle between the king and Achilles. Both characters take the form of fighting cockerels. Other painted elements include sea creatures and a ship. As in much of my work there is an extension from the picture into the frame. In this case it takes the form of the headdress of the ambassador (left vertical) and the hair of Achilles (right vertical) These forms are carved and painted recycled hardwood. The peacocks painted on the wall within the painting also extend out into the painting on the frame There are also a number of polished hard stone discs set into the frame.