Sphinx and Chimaera

This circular oil study is for one of eight paintings made by John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) for the rotunda at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Sargent frequently mixed mythologies in his later work, as seen in this canvas. The choice of the sphinx and chimaera reflects his travels in Egypt and Greece in 1890. The imaginary creatures also visually link the museum to two ancient civilizations. In myths, the chimaera is a winged monster and a portent of danger. Sargent turns the fearsome beast into an angelic figure that gracefully conforms to the painting's circular format and whose youthful, nude body references Greco-Roman sculpture. The sphinx reflects the West's interest in ancient Egypt, kindled by the emerging disciplines of archeology and art history. Though awarded the museum commission in 1916, Sargent likely made this particular study in 1919, after finishing work as an official war artist for Great Britain. The entire project--which included sculptural reliefs and architectural elements also designed by the painter--was unveiled in 1921 to wide acclaim.