Camille CorotFrench, 1796–1875The Wounded Eurydice
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Wounded Eurydice” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The wood nymph Eurydice was lethally wounded by a snake. Corot borrowed the pose of the wounded Eurydice from a famous ancient Greek sculpture known as the 'Spinario' or 'Thorn-Puller, ' thus she hardly appears at death's door. Corot chose a less usual episode in this story from classical mythology. Artists more often depicted Eurydice's husband's attempted rescue of her from the underworld. Orpheus, a musician and poet, journeyed down to Hades and briefly secured Eurydice's release through the power of his music. But Pluto imposed one condition: Orpheus could not look back at Eurydice until they reached the upper world. Orpheus looked back and she was pulled into the depths. Corot did not hint at the cruel fate awaiting the young nymph in his painting.
Read on
The work once belonged to James J. Hill (1838-1916), the Minnesota railroad magnate whose collection of European paintings forms the basis of the Institute's nineteenth-century holdings.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 67.31.1
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
In the life of Camille Corot
The whole life1860s
An interest in photography
In the 1860s Corot became interested in photography, taking photos himself and becoming acquainted with many early photographers. The monochrome tones of photographs suppressed his palette even further, making his paintings less dramatic but somewhat more poetic.
1865–1875
“Père Corot” of Parisian artists
In his final ten years Corot became the “Père (Father) Corot” of Parisian artistic circles, regarded with personal affection and acknowledged as one of the five or six greatest landscape painters the world had seen, along with Hobbema, Claude Lorrain, Turner and Constable.
29 June 1867 · Award
Officer of the Legion of Honour
1871
The siege of Paris: a donation; the Commune, in Arras
In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, Corot gave 2,000 francs for the poor of Paris, then under siege by the Prussians. During the Paris Commune he was at Arras with Alfred Robaut.
1872
A house in Auvers for the blind Daumier
In 1872 Corot bought a house in Auvers as a gift for Honoré Daumier, who by then was blind, without resources and homeless.
1872 · Award
Knight of the Order of Leopold
