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Elihu Vedder
American, 1836 – 1923
The Sphinx, 1890
Oil on paper mounted on canvas
18 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. (46.4 x 36.2 cm.)
21 1/2 x 17 1/2 in. (54.6 x 44.5 cm.) frame
Gift of Miss Anita Vedder 1938.55
Archaeological Interest, Artistic Imagination
Vedder traveled the Nile River on a traditional Egyptian houseboat. Accompanied by friends and a crew of fourteen, they sailed past pyramids and other architectural marvels. At Giza, Vedder visited the famous Great Sphinx. Inspired to paint, he took some artistic liberties with scale and accuracy; by the 1870s, excavations had already freed much of the figure from the surrounding sand dunes.
