Where to See Hesiod and the Muse in Cambridge

French artist Gustave Moreau created this drawing in 1857 while in Rome, depicting the ancient Greek poet Hesiod receiving inspiration from a Muse. The work in chalk, pen, and ink shows Moreau's early fascination with classical subjects that would define his career as a leading Symbolist artist.

At Hesiod's feet rest a lyre and laurel branch, traditional symbols of poetic art and honor. According to ancient accounts, Hesiod was a shepherd tending his flocks on Mount Helicon when the Muses appeared and taught him to sing. His subsequent poems, including Theogony and Works and Days, became foundational texts of Greek literature.

Moreau would return to this subject multiple times throughout his life, creating versions in 1870 and 1891 that now hang in the Musée National Gustave Moreau and Musée d'Orsay. This 1857 drawing belongs to the Fogg Museum at Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts, having been bequeathed to the collection in 2011.

This 1857 version is at the Fogg Museum (Harvard Art Museums) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Moreau painted other versions now in Paris museums.

Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet active around 700 BCE. He wrote Theogony and Works and Days, foundational texts explaining Greek mythology and rural life.

Gustave Moreau was a leading French Symbolist painter. His work influenced younger artists including Henri Matisse, who studied in his studio.

This 1857 version is at the Fogg Museum (Harvard Art Museums) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Moreau painted other versions now in Paris museums.

Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet active around 700 BCE. He wrote Theogony and Works and Days, foundational texts explaining Greek mythology and rural life.

Gustave Moreau was a leading French Symbolist painter. His work influenced younger artists including Henri Matisse, who studied in his studio.

Artwork Details

Where to See It

The Artist

Cite or Embed This Work

More by Gustave Moreau

Portrait of Degas in Florence

Degas portrait in the Uffizi

Horseman

Abduction of the Young Venetian Woman by Cypriot Pirates

Also at Fogg Museum (Harvard Art Museums), Cambridge, MA

Sir Galahad

Spring Bouquet

Woman on a Striped Sofa with a Dog

Man with a Toque

Related Works

Hesiod and the Muses

Apollo and The Nine Muses

The Daughters of Thespius

Death and the Maidens

Fable

Autumn

Adam and Eve

Female organ player

Conceptio artis

Design for a theater curtain

The Birds

Lady Margaret Beaumont and her Daughter

About Hesiod and the Muse

Own Art Like This