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Pandora

ca. 1914
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 813
In classical mythology, Pandora was a supremely beautiful woman created by the gods and sent to Earth to live among mortals. Redon depicts her nude, in a state of perfect innocence, and surrounded by flowers, like the biblical Eve in the Garden of Eden. According to legend, when Pandora opened the box cradled in her arms, she released all the evils destined to plague humanity, bringing to an end the idyllic Golden Age. This painting is thought to have been made about 1914, on the eve of World War I, when the themes of harmony destroyed and chaos unleashed may have had heightened resonance.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pandora
  • Artist: Odilon Redon (French, Bordeaux 1840–1916 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1914
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 56 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (143.5 x 62.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Alexander M. Bing, 1959
  • Object Number: 60.19.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Eyes Closed, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Eyes Closed
Odilon Redon
1890
Cover of Songes Album, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Cover of Songes Album
Odilon Redon
n.d.
A Veil, a Printed Image, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
A Veil, a Printed Image
Odilon Redon
Armand Clavaud
1891
In the shadow of the wing, the black creature bit, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
In the shadow of the wing, the black creature bit
Odilon Redon
1891
Brunnhilde (The Twilight of the Gods), Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Brunnhilde (The Twilight of the Gods)
Odilon Redon
1894

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