Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
French, 1827–1875
Daphnis and Chloe
1874
Daphnis caresses Chloe’s neck, tenderly leaning toward her as if to whisper in her ear or brush her cheek with his lips. Carpeaux became famous, even notorious, for his dynamic sculptural compositions, which some of his contemporaries considered indecent. This marble group was inspired by Longus’s Daphnis and Chloe, an ancient Greek narrative that asserts: “no one has ever escaped love, nor ever shall, so long as beauty exists and eyes can see.”
| Medium | marble |
| Dimensions | 55 1/8 x 29 1/8 x 22 7/16 in. (140 x 74 x 57 cm) Weight: 639 lb. (289.8 kg) |
| Object Number | 2013.5 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 2013 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Daphnis and Chloe, 1874, marble. Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 2013.5
