Artwork Page for Sleeping Endymion

Details / Information for Sleeping Endymion

Sleeping Endymion

1716

Agostino Cornacchini

(Italian, 1686–1754)
Culture
Italy, 18th century
Medium
marble
Measurements
Overall: 64.8 x 53.4 x 45.8 cm (25 1/2 x 21 x 18 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Grace Rainey Rogers in memory of her father, William J. Rainey 1942.51
Public Domain
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Location
216A French and German
Print

Description

Cornacchini moved away from the dramatic movement and light effects characteristic of baroque sculpture toward a calmer, gentler, more graceful style favored by 18th-century taste. This sculpture depicts Endymion, a beautiful young shepherd from Greek mythology. His beauty so entranced Selene, the personification of the moon, that she asked Zeus to grant Endymion immortality. Zeus did so, but only after placing Endymion in an eternal sleep.
A white marble sculpture depicts a youthful, nude man reclining against a rocky outcrop with leafy branches. He slumps with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, fabric draped across his lap. One arm rests on a cloth-covered ledge to our left, while the other hangs straight down. At his feet on our right, a dog lies curled next to a long staff. The sculpture sits on a textured, uneven base.

Sleeping Endymion

1716

Agostino Cornacchini

(Italian, 1686–1754)
Italy, 18th century

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