The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses
1884–1889 · Oil on canvas · Art Institute of Chicago
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About this work
- Artist
- Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898)
- Year
- 1884–1889
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 93 × 231 cm
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Symbolism
Robed and partly nude women gather on a green lawn beside a still, pale lake in front of a small white classical temple; two more figures float through the sky at upper left, and two nude boys play by the trees at right. The colours are chalky greens, creams and soft blues. The Art Institute of Chicago describes the central figures as architecture, painting and sculpture surrounded by the Muses. Puvis showed the canvas at the Salon of 1884 as a smaller version of his mural for the staircase of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, a composition that helped inspire Seurat.
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
Soft sage, cream and pale lake-blue give a calm, frieze-like scene for a long wall above a sofa, sideboard or desk. Pair it with Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, which it helped inspire, at 24×16 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1884–1889)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms 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 The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses 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.



























