All the attention is concentrated on the father and son. Psychologically speaking, this drawing acquires universal significance, and Thorvaldsen, who himself had lost a son and now was left just with a daughter, returned repeatedly to this classical scene. The Trojan hero Hector is taking leave of his wife and son as the nurse looks on. The posture of the figure of Hector, with its stress on surface, is found again in several of Thorvaldsen’s drawings, reliefs and sculptures.
