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Morpheus, 1777, Jean-Antoine Houdon, French, 1741–1828, marble, 14 3/8 x 27 3/4 x 14 in., Musée du Louvre, Paris, département des sculptures. © Musée du Louvre.

Morpheus, 1777, Jean-Antoine Houdon, French, 1741–1828, marble, 14 3/8 x 27 3/4 x 14 in., Musée du Louvre, Paris, département des sculptures. © Musée du Louvre.

This painting is modeled on an 18th-century French sculpture of Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. The original was a highly effeminate rendition of a young male body, which appealed to the Romantic sensibilities of the day.