Oedipus Taken from the Tree
Jean-François Millet, Oedipus Taken from the Tree, ca. 1847, oil on cardboard, Bequest of Charles Francis Adams, public domain, 43.8.32
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Oedipus Taken from the Tree
- Artist
- Date
ca. 1847
- Medium
oil on cardboard
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
28 7/8 in x 21 1/8 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature: J.F.M., brushed, lower left
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
French
- Credit Line
Bequest of Charles Francis Adams
- Accession Number
43.8.32
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
An oil study from Millet's Parisian period and a rare mythological subject for the artist, this painting was inspired by ancient Greek legend. The scene shows shepherds rescuing the infant Oedipus, who has been strung up in a tree and left to die because his father, Laius, believed a prediction that his son would eventually kill him.
A study for a finished painting in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, which the artist exhibited in the Salon in 1847, the Museum's work provides an opportunity to understand Millet's painting technique and especially his process of arriving at a structure for the final composition.
The nineteenth-century frame was funded by the Museum's European and American Art Council.
- Exhibitions
1998 The Other Nineteenth Century Portland Art Museum
