Echo
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
38 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. (97.8 x 66.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mary Phelps Smith, in memory of her husband, Howard Caswell Smith, 1965
Accession Number
65.258.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Alexandre Cabanel's *Echo* (1874), an exquisite oil on canvas measuring 38½ × 26¼ inches, the mythical nymph from Greek mythology who pined away for Narcissus, her form dissolving into a mere voice. Painted during the waning years of France's Second Empire, this work exemplifies Cabanel's of Academic art—a style rooted in classical ideals, precise anatomy, and sensual allure. As a favorite of Emperor Napoleon III and a perennial star of the Paris Salon, Cabanel infused his nudes with a polished elegance that bridged Renaissance perfection with 19th-century romanticism. The painting's medium s...