“Following the Ilias (Iliad) Jan Cox had planned on painting a counterpart for the series, inspired by Mozart’s Magic Flute. After the painful and highly dramatic beauty of the Ilias, he wanted to create something with compassion and tenderness. The masonic opera by Mozart, in which an optimistic view of humanity is portrayed, was a perfect fit. However, the gruelling effort needed to complete the Ilias meant Cox was unable to fulfil his plan. He would only complete a few works. These works are illustrations for the opera (Papageno), in his paintings the subject would become more personal.”[1]