Erythraean Sibyl at The Louvre, Paris

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Human: The collection, displayed at the Salon in 1761, forms part of the impressive collections of the renowned amateurs La Live de Jully and La live de La Briche. The Erythraean Sibyl was a celebrated prophetess of ancient times who presided over the Apollonian oracle at Erythrae, a bustling town in Ionia situated opposite Chios, which was founded by Neleus, the son of Codrus. It is highly likely that there were multiple sibyls at Erythrae. One recorded sibyl bore the name Herophile, while another is said to have originated from Chaldea, a nation located in the southern region of Babylonia, and was the daughter of Berossus who penned the Chaldean history, and Erymanthe. According to Apollodorus of Erythrae, one countrywoman predicted the Trojan War and prophesied to the Greeks that Troy would be destroyed and that Homer would write falsehoods. The term Sibyl originates from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. Sibyls were known for providing answers whose value hinged on good questions - a stark contrast to prophets who typically responded with indirect answers related to the questions asked. Many sibyls existed in the ancient world, but this oracle prophesied Alexander the Great's divine parentage, according to legend. In Christian iconography, the Erythraean Sibyl sometimes appears as one who foretold the Redemption. Examples can be found in mediaeval paintings within Salisbury cathedral, and others are depicted in the illustrations on this page. The term acrostic was first applied to the prophecies of the Erythraean Sibyl, which were inscribed on leaves and arranged so that the initial letters of each leaf formed a word.