Diomedes Devoured by His Horses

between 1865 and 1870

Gustave Moreau French, 1826-1898

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About the Artwork

In a fit of madness, the Olympian demi-god Hercules killed his wife and his six sons. His imposed penance involved twelve “labors” that taxed even his divine bravery and strength. As his eighth labor, Hercules was commanded to steal a ferocious herd of mares belonging to the Thracian King, Diomedes, who had raised them on a diet of human flesh. French painter Gustave Moreau portrays the culminating scene in the narrative, when Hercules lets the raging horses loose on their own master. Moreau uses strong contrasts to heighten the drama of the moment as the brilliant white and gleaming black mares tear the blood-red cloak away from Diomedes’ pallid body. Throughout his career, Moreau returned to the saga of the demi-god and his labors, often providing an unorthodox twist, as seen here in his languid depiction of Hercules, lurking half-hidden in the mid-distance shadows to watch the king’s gruesome death.

From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Diomedes Devoured by His Horses

Artwork Date between 1865 and 1870

Artist Gustave Moreau

Life Dates 1826-1898

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. French

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 18 × 15 inches (45.7 × 38.1 cm) Framed: 27 × 24 1/16 × 2 1/2 inches (68.6 × 61.1 × 6.4 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department European Modern Art to 1970

Credit Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2002.114

Markings

Signed Signed, lower left: Gustave Moreau

Inscriptions Inscribed, verso: A Monsieur Durufle - Diomede - Gustave Moreau

Provenance

Paris, Collection Gustave Durufle, acq. from artist Feb. 1877;
New York, Christie's, sale 25 October 1996, lot 80;
New York, French & Company (dealer, 1997-2002) from whom purchased by the DIA in 2002.

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Leprieur, P. Gustave Moreau et son Oeuvre. Paris, 1889, p. 36.

Renan, A. Gustave Moreau. Paris, 1900, p. 30 [or 130? per Rouen cat.].

Exposition Gustave Moreau. Exh. cat., Galerie George Petit. Paris, 1906, cat. 40.

Mathieu, P.-L. Gustave Moreau. Fribourg, 1976, no. 179 [and Oxford, 1977, p. 308, no. 79 - or 179? per Rouen cat.].

Mathieu, P.-L. Gustave Moreau. Cat. rais., Courbevoie, 1998, no. 92, repr. p. 131.

Exh. cat., XXIVe Biennale de Sao Paolo. Sao Paolo, p. 132 (repr.).

Gustave Moreau, Diomède dévoré par ses chevaux. Exh. cat., Musée des Beaux-Arts. Rouen, 2000, pp.47-8; p. 58; repr. p. 27. cat. 26,

Bulletin of the DIA: Annual Report 77, no. 3/4 (2003): p. 6: pp. 20-22.

Bulletin of the DIA 89, no. 1/4: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015 (2015): p. 16 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Gustave Moreau, Diomedes Devoured by His Horses, between 1865 and 1870, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2002.114.