Shop / Oedipus and the Sphinx

Exhibition poster

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Gustave Moreau

1864 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size2:3 ratio

Will it fit? See it to scale above your sofa, bed or mantel

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra

Jupiter and Semele

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

Choose different prints →

Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Gustave Moreau (1826–1898)
Year: 1864
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 206.4 × 104.8 cm
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Movement: Symbolism

A winged sphinx with a woman's head and breasts clings to the chest of a young, nearly naked Oedipus on a narrow mountain pass, her lion's claws dug into him as the two hold each other's gaze. He stands calm, leaning on a red spear, against grey-green rock and a stormy blue sky; the foot of an earlier victim shows at the bottom edge. Moreau showed the painting at the Salon of 1864, where it was an immediate success and won him a medal. William H. Herriman bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1920.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Teal, blue-grey and pale flesh tones on dark rock make a tall, dramatic picture for a study, library or hallway. Hang it with Böcklin's Isle of the Dead at 12×18 in a black frame.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Symbolism painting
Era: 19th century (1864)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 12×18. 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Oedipus and the Sphinx in the public domain?

Yes. Gustave Moreau (1826–1898) died more than 70 years ago and the work was made and first published more than 95 years ago, so the painting itself is public domain in the US and Europe. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Oedipus and the Sphinx painted, and in what medium?

Oedipus and the Sphinx dates from 1864 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 206.4 × 104.8 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Oedipus and the Sphinx we'd choose 12×18.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Gustave Moreau's Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864, shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Symbolism and Myth, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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