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Aurora and Cephalus
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The goddess of the dawn, Aurora, fell in love with the shepherd Cephalus. She eventually seized him at daybreak, bringing him to the heavens while he slept—the scene Girodet has painted here. Later, missing his wife, Procris, Cephalus begs to return. Aurora agrees, giving him a magic spear that kills every target, including his wife, when he mistakes her for an animal in the brush.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAurora and Cephalus, c.1810. Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson (French, 1767–1824). Oil on canvas; framed: 34.9 x 29.9 x 7 cm (13 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); unframed: 22.8 x 16.8 cm (9 x 6 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Painting and Drawing Society of The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2002.101
