Clytie
Artist
William Henry Rinehart
(American, 1825-1874)
CultureAmerican
Date1872
MediumMarble
DimensionsOverall: 47 3/8 x 13 1/8 x 15 3/4 in. (120.3 x 33.3 x 40 cm)
Credit LineGift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase
Object number86.514
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 208
Label TextWilliam Henry Rinehart American, 1825–1874 Clytie, 1872 Marble Clytie reflects the Neoclassical passion for ancient Roman subject matter and the idealized nude form. It depicts a mythological water nymph who fell in love with the sun god Apollo. When the god rejected her, the forlorn Clytie watched Apollo as he traveled across the sky for nine days straight. The gods finally took pity on her and changed her into a sunflower, a plant that always turns its face toward the sun just like the heartbroken nymph. The sunflower held by this Clytie alludes to both her coming transformation and the constancy of love. Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase 86.514 Exhibition History"The Ricau Collection," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., February 26 - April 23, 1989. "Reopening of the Joan P. Brock Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Opening in March of 2008.
