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Echo

1874
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800
In Greek mythology, the beautiful nymph Echo is cursed by the goddess Hera and can only repeat the last words said to her. Unable to communicate with the man she loves, Echo retreats to the mountains and pines away until just her voice remains. This painting depicts the nymph with her mouth agape and her hands at her ears as if startled by reverberating sounds. The mannered elegance and polished handling of the figure epitomize the style promoted by the influential French Académie des Beaux-Arts. Nineteenth-century critics often deemed such idealized portrayals of the nude unconvincing, but many viewers preferred them to more realistic depictions, which seemed shockingly indecorous.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Echo
  • Artist: Alexandre Cabanel (French, Montpellier 1823–1889 Paris)
  • Date: 1874
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 38 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. (97.8 x 66.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mary Phelps Smith, in memory of her husband, Howard Caswell Smith, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.258.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Study for "The Hours," Hôtel Pereire, Paris, Alexandre Cabanel French, Red chalk
Study for "The Hours," Hôtel Pereire, Paris
Alexandre Cabanel
ca. 1864
Nude Male Figure with a Sword, Alexandre Cabanel French, Black chalk
Nude Male Figure with a Sword
Alexandre Cabanel
1878
Florentine Poet, Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on wood
Florentine Poet
Alexandre Cabanel
1861
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (1828–1887), Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on canvas
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (1828–1887)
Alexandre Cabanel
1876
The Birth of Venus, Alexandre Cabanel French, Oil on canvas
The Birth of Venus
Alexandre Cabanel
1875

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