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The Lost Pleiade

Marble sculpture of a partially clothed young woman on clouds looking to her left, her hand raised to her forehead.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Marble sculpture of a partially clothed young woman on clouds looking to her left, her hand raised to her forehead.

Date:

1874–75

Artist:

Randolph Rogers
American, 1825–1892

About this artwork

In creating this sculpture, Randolph Rogers was inspired by the Roman author Ovid’s poem Fasti, which recounts the legend of the seven sister stars who lived among the constellations. Merope, the youngest sister, married Sisyphus and hid herself in shame because he was mortal. The sculpture depicts the outcast Merope as she seeks her celestial family. With its unclothed torso, The Lost Pleiade is the closest Rogers came to creating a complete nude. Although a conteporary viewers may not have understood the reference to Fasti, the title nonetheless reassured Victorian audiences that this partially nude woman had literary antecedents and was thus not intended as a sensual form.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Randolph Rogers (Sculptor)

Title

The Lost Pleiade

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1874–1875

Medium

Marble

Inscriptions

Signed on base at back: "Randolph Rogers. Rome"

Dimensions

H.: 129.5 cm (51 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. E. S. Stickney

Reference Number

1889.8

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/153/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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