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Ariadne

After John Vanderlyn American
ca. 1831–35
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 759
Before becoming a painter, Durand was considered the foremost engraver in the United States. His usual procedure was to first produce a copy in oil of the work to be engraved. Ariadne is one such example after a history painting by John Vanderlyn (1809–14; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia). Ariadne, a Cretan princess abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover Theseus, is shown asleep, unaware of his departure. Durand’s copy modified Vanderlyn’s crisp Neoclassical style, infusing the figure—one of the first nudes ever exhibited in this country—with a romantic softness that emphasized its sensuality.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ariadne
  • Artist: Asher Brown Durand (American, Jefferson, New Jersey 1796–1886 Maplewood, New Jersey)
  • Artist: After John Vanderlyn (American, Kingston, New York 1775–1852 Kingston, New York)
  • Date: ca. 1831–35
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 17 1/8 x 19 3/8 in. (43.5 x 49.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1897
  • Object Number: 97.29.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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Harem Girl Smoking a Pipe
Asher Brown Durand
William John Hennessy
ca. 1862
Sweethearts and Wives
Asher Brown Durand
A. R. Poole
1826
Sketchbook of Landscape and Figure Subjects, Asher Brown Durand American, Drawings in graphite on off-white wove paper, bound in a green cardboard cover, American
Sketchbook of Landscape and Figure Subjects
Asher Brown Durand
1796–1886
Proof of one side of a New York Merchants Banking Company 100 Dollar Bill, Asher Brown Durand American, Engraving; proof
Proof of one side of a New York Merchants Banking Company 100 Dollar Bill
Multiple artists/makers
1824–27
Proofs of Bank of New York One Dollar Bill and Two Dollar Bill, Asher Brown Durand American, Engraving; proof
Proofs of Bank of New York One Dollar Bill and Two Dollar Bill
Multiple artists/makers
1824–37

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