CC0 · no rights reserved
Hero
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
William Henry Rinehart first conceived of this figure in 1858, when he began work on her companion piece Leander. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Every evening, her lover, Leander, swam across the straits to be with her, guided by a lantern she held aloft. One night, a storm blew out her lamp and Leander drowned. In her anguish, Hero jumped into the sea to join him. Rinehart depicted the moment when Hero realizes that Leander is dead.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineHero. modeled 1866. William Henry Rinehart, born Union Bridge, MD 1825-died Rome, Italy 1874. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Peabody Institute. CC0.
