Hero
About the sculpture
William Henry Rinehart first conceived of this figure in 1858, when he began work on her companion piece Leander. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Every evening, her lover, Leander, swam across the straits to be with her, guided by a lantern she held aloft. One night, a storm blew out her lamp and Leander drowned. In her anguish, Hero jumped into the sea to join him. Rinehart depicted the moment when Hero realizes that Leander is dead.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1970.335.5
