This melted the wax as Daedalus had warned, Icarus’ wings fell apart, he plummeted into the sea, and was drowned near what became known as Icaria, an island ten miles southwest of Samos, in the northern Aegean Sea. They set off, and were making good progress passing several islands when Icarus became over-confident and soared upwards towards the sun. Daedalus specifically warned Icarus that he should not fly too low, or the moisture from the sea would soak the feathers, nor too high, or the heat of the sun would melt the wax and the wings would disintegrate. Once Daedalus had completed his own set of wings, he found that flapping them in the manner of a bird generated lift, so he made a second pair for his son.įather and son then prepared to make their escape from Crete. Ovid’s Metamorphoses (book 8, 183-235) describe how they did this, tying feathers together, securing them at their midpoints with string, then at their bases using beeswax. Daedalus therefore set about building himself and his young son Icarus sets of wings, so that they could fly from the island and escape. Because of his knowledge of the Labyrinth, Minos, the king of Crete, shut him up in a tower to prevent him from spreading that knowledge. It has also lent itself to contrasting treatments, which make it valuable for gaining insight into the techniques of narrative painting.Īccording to classical Greek legend, Daedalus was a master craftsman who was most famously responsible for creating the Labyrinth on Crete, which contained the Minotaur. The tragic death of Icarus is quite a popular story for narrative paintings from classical times onwards.