Hero
William Henry Rinehart
According to Greek legend, Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite. Every night she was visited at her home in Sestos by her lover, Leander, who swam across the Hellespont from Abydos to see her. One night the wind blew out her lamp, which was Leander's beacon, and he drowned. When his body washed up on the shore, the grief-stricken Hero flung herself into the water to be united for eternity with her lover.
Artist
Date of Birth
(1825-1874)
Date
ca. 1865-1866
Medium
Marble, carved in 1869
Dimensions
33 3/4 x 24 x 11 3/4 in. (85.725 x 60.96 x 29.845 cm.)
Accession #
1892.6.70
Credit Line
Bequest of Henry C. Gibson
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Category
Subject