ticketsMember | Make a donation

Thetis and Achilles

1874
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Deriving inspiration from classical mythology, Connelly depicted the Greek sea goddess Thetis contemplating the fate of her infant son Achilles. The life-size marble exemplifies the late American neoclassical penchant for narrative detail; the shell-and-trident border on Thetis’s heavy drapery and the conch at her feet both reference the goddess’s origin in the sea. “Thetis and Achilles” was among the most celebrated sculptures of Connelly’s eleven entries at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. In early 1877 the work was presented to the Metropolitan, the second piece of American sculpture to enter the collection after Hiram Powers’s “California” (72.3).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Thetis and Achilles
  • Artist: Pierce Francis Connelly (1841–1932)
  • Date: 1874
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: 56 x 32 x 45 1/2 in. (142.2 x 81.3 x 115.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. A. E. Schermerhorn, 1877
  • Object Number: 77.2a–d
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pier Table, Joseph Meeks & Sons American, Mahogany veneer, mahogany; pine, ash (secondary woods); marble, glass, American
Pier Table
Joseph Meeks & Sons
1829–35
Bacchante and Infant Faun, Frederick William MacMonnies American, Bronze, American
Bacchante and Infant Faun
Frederick William MacMonnies
Thiébaut frères
1893–94, cast 1894
Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln), Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Bronze, American
Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln)
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1884–87; reduced 1910; cast 1911
Lamp, Blown, cut, and engraved glass; marble, American
Lamp
American
1843–55
California, Hiram Powers American, Marble, American
California
Hiram Powers
1850–55, carved 1858

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.