  About the Artwork
  
  
  In Greek mythology, the moon goddess Selene was the lover of the mortal shepherd Endymion; but because of her lunar nature, their meetings could only take place at night. Nicolas Poussin has represented the poignant moment at which the two must part. Endymion kneels sadly before Selene; she gently rests her hand on his shoulder, but can do nothing to stop the impending break of dawn, as signaled by the winged figure of Night, who draws back the curtain of darkness that has protected the couple. From behind this curtain springs forth the sun god Apollo, preparing to bring in a new day by driving his chariot across the sky. Nicolas Poussin, a leading figure in the classical seventeenth-century French movement, has bathed this scene with a vaporous, golden light, infusing it with the sense of calm harmony and measured order for which he is known.
  
  
  Title
  Selene and Endymion
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1630
  
  Artist
  Nicolas Poussin
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1594-1665
  
  
  
  
  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.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 48 × 66 1/2 inches (121.9 × 168.9 cm)
  Framed: 59  × 77 1/4 × 3 1/2 inches (149.9 × 196.2 × 8.9 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, General Membership 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.
  
  
  
  36.11
  
  
  Copyright
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