The Sleep of Endymion

The Sleep of Endymion, painted by Girodet in 1791 during a stay in Rome, shows the young shepherd lying naked on cloths and furs in the dim light of a forest. Moonlight falls across his torso and face, while his legs and genitals remain in shadow. In the best-known version of the myth, Selene, the Moon, fell in love with Endymion and secured for him an eternal sleep that would keep his youth and beauty intact, so she could gaze at him every night. What makes the scene distinctive is its frankly erotic tone: the idealized, Neoclassical body is offered to the viewer, and Zephyr, who has features resembling Cupid, pushes aside the undergrowth so the light can reach him. One detail has drawn the attention of scholars: the winged figure turns his face toward the moon, so his buttocks should not receive that same light, an inconsistency that seems deliberate. The painting was shown at the Salon of 1793 and became Girodet's first major success.

Painter

Anne-Louis Girodet

Date

1791

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

198 × 261 cm

Museum

Louvre Museum, Paris

Genre

mythological painting, nude

Depicts

moonlight, butterfly, Eros, dog, wing, fur, Endymion, drapery

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