The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Aurora and Cephalus

Aurora and Cephalus

c.1810
Framed: 34.9 x 29.9 x 7 cm (13 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 22.8 x 16.8 cm (9 x 6 5/8 in.)

Did You Know?

This myth subverts typical gender dynamics: usually a man captures a woman, but in this story the trope reversed.

Description

The goddess of the dawn, Aurora, fell in love with the shepherd Cephalus. She eventually seized him at daybreak, bringing him to the heavens while he slept—the scene Girodet has painted here. Later, missing his wife, Procris, Cephalus begs to return. Aurora agrees, giving him a magic spear that kills every target, including his wife, when he mistakes her for an animal in the brush.
  • Bellenger, Sylvain, ed. Girodet, 1767-1824. [Paris, France]: Gallimard, 2006. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 457-458, cat. 128
  • Girodet: Romantic Rebel. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (September 19, 2005-January 2, 2006); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (February 11-April 30, 2006); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (May 22-August 27, 2006); Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (October 12, 2006-January 21, 2007).
    Musée du Louvre, Paris (9/19/2005 - 1/2/2006), Art Institute of Chicago, IL (2/11/2006 - 4/30/2006), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (5/22/2006 - 8/27/2006) and the Musée des Beaux Arts, Montréal (10/12/2006 - 1/21/2007): "Girodet: Romantic Rebel" ex. cat. 128, p. 458-9.
  • {{cite web|title=Aurora and Cephalus|url=false|author=Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson|year=c.1810|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.101