MOREAU, Gustave
(b. 1826, Paris, d. 1898, Paris)

Oedipus and the Sphinx

1864
Oil on canvas, 206 x 105 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

One of the surprises of the 1864 Salon was the sensational debut of Gustave Moreau, who leapt to immediate fame and from then on attracted many loyal admirers. Oedipus and the Sphinx was bought by Prince Napoleon, a noted collector and an admirer of Ingres.