æt ðə bɪɡˈɪnɪŋ ʌvðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti z ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tə ɡɹˈiːs fɚɹə pˈiəɹɪəd ʌv sˈɛvɹəl jˈɪɹz, ˈæftɚ wˌɪtʃ hiː pɹədˈuːst ɐ sˈiːkwəns pˈeɪntɪŋz wɪð mˈoːɹ ɐvˈaʊᵻdli ɡɹˈiːk θˈiːmz, sˈʌtʃ ɐz ðə kˈɑːɹnɪvəl æɾ ˈæθᵻnz ænd ðɪ ɚɹˌævoʊnˌɪɐzmˈɑːɾə ɛŋɡˈeɪdʒmənt sˈɛɹᵻməni ænd ɐ lˈɪɾəl lˈeɪɾɚ ðə pˈeɪntɪŋ ˈæftɚ ðə dᵻstɹˈʌkʃən ʌv sˈɑːɹɹə.
At the beginning of the 1870s returned to Greece for a period of several years, after which he produced a sequence paintings with more avowedly Greek themes, such as the Carnival at Athens and the Arravoniasmata (Engagement Ceremony) and a little later the painting After the Destruction of Psara.