Jean-Baptiste RegnaultFrench, 1754–1829Sapho
May one see it?
Unknown
Nationalmuseum
Stockholm, Sweden
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Sappho was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos, known amongst other things for her love poems dedicated to other women—hence the expression “lesbian love.” Naked figures are abundant in Neoclassical art, depicted with an emphasis on the contours of the body and the profile of the face that often has an erotic undertone. Sappho resembles pictures by Anne-Louis Girodet, and when Nationalmuseum bought the painting in 1919, experts believed Girodet was the artist. Now it is thought a lesser-known painter is the artist, possibly a foreigner educated in Paris around 1800.
Nationalmuseum
Particulars
In the catalog
Sources
- Nationalmuseum
- Image: Nationalmuseum — Public Domain Mark 1.0
