The Aegean Sea

Frederic Edwin Church American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760

Church toured West Asia and Europe in 1867–69. The Aegean Sea, his final large-scale picture, is a composite landscape, based on sketches and photographs he had made in different locations: at left are elements of the carved-rock city of Petra, in present-day Jordan; at right, ancient Roman columns seen in Syria; and in the distance, a mosque suggesting Constantinople and classical ruins evoking the Acropolis in Athens. These old world sites, hallowed by history and the Bible, helped affirm Church’s religious beliefs at a time when new scientific discoveries were challenging his faith.

The Aegean Sea, Frederic Edwin Church (American, Hartford, Connecticut 1826–1900 New York), Oil on canvas, American

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The Aegean Sea, Frederic Edwin Church (American, Hartford, Connecticut 1826–1900 New York), Oil on canvas, American
The Aegean Sea, Frederic Edwin Church (American, Hartford, Connecticut 1826–1900 New York), Oil on canvas, American

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