Pygmalion and Galatea
c. 1890 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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About this work
- Artist
- Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
- Year
- c. 1890
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 88.9 × 68.6 cm
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Movement
- Academic
In the sculptor's studio the ivory statue of Galatea comes to life as Pygmalion kisses her, her marble turning to flesh from the waist up while her legs are still stone on the pedestal; a Cupid aims an arrow from the air and masks and a shield hang on the wall. Gérôme, who took up sculpture late in life and made his own polychrome Galatea, painted the Ovidian story several times around 1890; this is the version seen from behind, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has owned it since 1927. The scene is set in the painter's own studio and the figures look back to his sculpture, so that the picture is a declaration about his art: colour and life brought to the cold perfection of the classical nude.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A marble woman turning to flesh in a sculptor's kiss, in white, cream and studio brown, for a bedroom, studio or hallway at 24×36 in natural wood. Warm grey, blush or cream walls suit the ivory; pair it with Truth Coming Out of Her Well.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Academic painting
- Era
- 19th century (c. 1890)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- bedroom, hallway or entryway, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Pygmalion and Galatea in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Pygmalion and Galatea painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.



























