Elihu Vedder
Elihu Vedder grew up in Schenectady, New York. He left to study art in Paris and stayed in Europe for most of his life. After a brief period in the United States at the beginning of the Civil War, Vedder permanently settled in Rome. He loved mystical literature, and he painted magical subjects such as sphinxes and angels. Vedder was particularly interested in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a book of Persian poetry (ca. 1120), for which he made over 50 illustrations.
Does this support or challenge gender stereotypes?
Vedder’s interest in ancient Egypt was inspired in part by recent archaeological discoveries, including the 1858 excavation of the Great Sphinx at Giza. In Greek mythology, the sphinx—half woman and half lion—demanded that travelers answer her riddle, strangling those who failed. Surrounded by architectural ruins, a shipwreck, and the skulls of her victims, Vedder’s sphinx reflects the fascination with women as dangerous and erotic temptresses.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd
\ Also in this gallery
