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The Allegory of the Sorbonne

1889
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800

This composition symbolizes the Sorbonne, one of Paris’s historic universities. According to Puvis, the woman enthroned at center personifies the school. Figures surrounding her represent the institution’s ideals and major areas of study, including philosophy, history, and the sciences. Puvis made this sketch during his final year of work on a mural that he completed for the grand lecture hall of the new Sorbonne building in 1889. The grid lines used to transfer the present composition are visible through the paint.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Allegory of the Sorbonne
  • Artist: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (French, Lyons 1824–1898 Paris)
  • Date: 1889
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 32 5/8 x 180 1/4 in. (82.9 x 457.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
  • Object Number: 29.100.117
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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A Muse of Poetry, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Graphite and chalk on paper
A Muse of Poetry
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
19th century
Sleep: sketch for the painting, now in the museum at Lille, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Pen and brown ink on tracing paper
Sleep: sketch for the painting, now in the museum at Lille
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1840–98
Sketch for War, painting in the Museum of Picardy at Amiens, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Black chalk touched with white and red chalk
Sketch for War, painting in the Museum of Picardy at Amiens
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
ca. 1861
Study for Geometry in “The Sorbonne", Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Fabricated black crayon, squared with blue crayon
Study for Geometry in “The Sorbonne"
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1886–87
Seated Figure: Study for “A Vision of Antiquity”, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes French, Fabricated black crayon, squared
Seated Figure: Study for “A Vision of Antiquity”
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
1883–85

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