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The Parthenon

1871
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760
Church visited Greece in 1869 and spent several weeks in Athens. There, he made numerous sketches and oil studies of the ruins of the Acropolis that later served as the basis for this painting. In reference to the Parthenon, he wrote, "Daily I study its stones and feel its inexpressible charm of beauty growing on my senses. . . . I think a great picture could be made of the ruins." The present scene, its foreground filled with fragments of capitals and columns, is suffused with a reddish glow and afternoon shadows. Church designed the painting’s impressive frame.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Parthenon
  • Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (American, Hartford, Connecticut 1826–1900 New York)
  • Date: 1871
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 44 1/2 x 72 5/8 in. (113 x 184.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Maria DeWitt Jesup, from the collection of her husband, Morris K. Jesup, 1914
  • Object Number: 15.30.67
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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The Heart of the Andes
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Homage to Church's Picture, "The Heart of the Andes": Marche di Bravura, The Andes
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The Aegean Sea, Frederic Edwin Church American, Oil on canvas, American
The Aegean Sea
Frederic Edwin Church
ca. 1877
Heart of the Andes, Frederic Edwin Church American, Oil on canvas, American
Heart of the Andes
Frederic Edwin Church
1859
Niagara, Frederic Edwin Church American, Oil on paper laid down on canvas, American
Returned to lender
Niagara
Frederic Edwin Church
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Frederic Edwin Church - The Parthenon - American - The Metropolitan Museum of Art