The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 14, 2025
Aurora and Cephalus
c.1810
(French, 1767–1824)
Framed: 34.9 x 29.9 x 7 cm (13 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 22.8 x 16.8 cm (9 x 6 5/8 in.)
Location: 202 French Neoclassical Decorative Arts
Did You Know?
This myth subverts typical gender dynamics: usually a man captures a woman, but in this story the trope reversed.Description
The goddess of the dawn, Aurora, fell in love with the shepherd Cephalus. She eventually seized him at daybreak, bringing him to the heavens while he slept—the scene Girodet has painted here. Later, missing his wife, Procris, Cephalus begs to return. Aurora agrees, giving him a magic spear that kills every target, including his wife, when he mistakes her for an animal in the brush.- Bellenger, Sylvain. “Aurora and Cephalus: A Story of an Acquisition.” Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 8 (2003): 188–199. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 188, fig. 2 www.jstor.orgBellenger, Sylvain, ed. Girodet, 1767-1824. [Paris, France]: Gallimard, 2006. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 457-458, cat. 128
- Girodet: Romantic Rebel. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (September 19, 2005-January 2, 2006); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (February 11-April 30, 2006); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (May 22-August 27, 2006); Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (October 12, 2006-January 21, 2007).Musée du Louvre, Paris (9/19/2005 - 1/2/2006), Art Institute of Chicago, IL (2/11/2006 - 4/30/2006), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (5/22/2006 - 8/27/2006) and the Musée des Beaux Arts, Montréal (10/12/2006 - 1/21/2007): "Girodet: Romantic Rebel" ex. cat. 128, p. 458-9.
- {{cite web|title=Aurora and Cephalus|url=false|author=Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson|year=c.1810|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.101