Oedipus and the Sphinx
The Met
Artist: Gustave Moreau(French, Paris 1826–1898 Paris)
Date: 1864
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 81 1/4 × 41 1/4 in. (206.4 × 104.8 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of William H. Herriman, 1920
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A winged sphinx with a woman's head embraces a man holding a staff in a rocky landscape
Detailed Description
The vertical oil painting depicts two figures in a rugged rocky landscape under a dark, cloudy sky. On the left, a winged sphinx with the head and torso of a woman embraces a standing man. The sphinx has light skin, long blonde hair, and a small blue crown. Her large, blue-grey wings are spread behind her. Her lower body is that of a tawny lion, with a long tail and a red cord visible around her midsection. She looks up at the man, her left arm around his waist and her right hand on his hip. The man, positioned slightly to the right, is mostly nude with light skin and long, wavy brown hair. He wears a green drapery around his lower body and holds a tall, reddish-brown staff with a pointed tip in his left hand, resting it on the ground. He looks down at the sphinx, his right arm resting on a dark rock formation behind him. The background features jagged, dark grey and brown rock formations on both sides, receding into a hazy, dark blue-grey distance on the left, where small green plants grow. On the right, a tall, decorated pedestal with a white and blue base supports a silver-colored urn decorated with small figures. Below the pedestal, a severed human foot lies on a red cloth on the rocky ground. The overall palette is muted, dominated by dark blues, greys, browns, and the lighter skin tones of the figures.
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