Tiresias

at the Grand Trianon in the Park of the Palace of Versailles

At the Grand Trianon (opens in a new tab), in the Salon des Seigneurs, there is a painting made by René-Antoine HOUASSE (opens in a new tab) in 1698, “Minerva and Tiresias”.

This painting is part of a series called “History of Minerva”, like “Minerva and Arachne (opens in a new tab)”.

In the foreground, Minerva (opens in a new tab), goddess of wisdom, makes Tiresias, in the center, sightless, as Pseudo-Apollodorus (opens in a new tab) tells in Book III of the “Bibliotheca (opens in a new tab)”.

Here's the excerpt.

“Minerva and Tiresias” according to the text of Book III of the “Bibliotheca”

7 But Pherecydes says that he was blinded by Minerva;

for Chariclo was dear to Minerva...

as Tiresias came,

they were at the bath together

and Tiresias saw the goddess stark naked,

and she covered his eyes with her hands,

and so rendered him instantly sightless.

And when Chariclo asked her to restore his sight,

she could not do so,

but by cleansing his ears she caused him to understand every note of birds;

and she gave him a staff of cornel-wood,

wherewith he walked like those who see.