Achilles was the central hero of Homer's Iliad, the strongest and swiftest of the Greeks at Troy. As a boy, his mother the sea goddess Thetis placed him in the care of the wise and gentle centaur Chiron, from whom he learned music and most importantly archery, a skill which would eventually help to seize Troy. In this bronze, the young Achilles is shown with his bow poised and the lyre at his feet, dutifully observing his master, Chiron. Many artists who were influential to the French School took up the theme of the Education of Achilles, in particular Eugene Delacroix, Gustave Moreau and Auguste Rodin. Chiron was a centaur of great kindness and wisdom, and a friend to both man and the gods. In Greek mythology he was seen as a source of the arts, healing, and music, and in some versions he was considered to be the King of the Centaurs. The education of Asclepius, Jason and Achilles was entrusted to him. Thetis entrusted her son to Chiron, whom he taught and raised to manhood. Chiron was a vehicle for the depiction of ancient wisdom in a particular form. The ancient Greeks felt that the horse untamed was dangerous, but if the creature could be tamed then it would be of enormous help to man. The composition of this bronze was taken from a painting by the french artist Jean Baptiste Regnault, which was exhibited at the Salon of 1783.