Musidora
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
plate: 16 7/8 x 12 1/8 in. (42.9 x 30.8 cm) sheet: 20 1/4 x 14 7/16 in. (51.5 x 36.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Frederic F. Durand, 1930
Accession Number
30.15.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Musidora," an exquisite 1825 engraving by Asher. Durand in collaboration with publishers Burton & Valentine, captures a timeless neoclassical scene inspired by James Thomson's 18th-century poem *The Seasons*. The image depicts the nymph Musidora bathing, a motif of voyeuristic beauty and pastoral innocence that resonated in Romantic-era art. Printed on a generous sheet measuring 20¼ x 14½ inches, this work exemplifies Durand's early mastery as an engraver before he became a founding figure of the Hudson River School. Engraving, an intaglio technique where intricate lines are incised into a c...
About the Artist
Asher Brown Durand|Burton & Valentine · 1796–1886
Was a principal member of the Hudson River School. American artist; associated with the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Comment on works: Portraits