ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Young Sophocles Leading the Chorus of Victory after the Battle of Salamis

Founder Cast by Gorham Manufacturing Company American
1885, cast 1927
Not on view
In his best-known work, Donoghue represented Sophocles, the Greek dramatist of tragedy, in the year 480 B.C., at age sixteen. After the Athenians’ decisive defeat of the Persians in sea combat, the Battle of Salamis, the exultant group erected a trophy. Because of his musical talent, young Sophocles was elected to lead the chorus of victory. He is poised, mouth open in song, as his right hand releases the strings of his lyre. The original plaster was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1886 and was awarded an honorable mention. At the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, the piece won a first-place prize. In 1917, the Metropolitan Museum purchased a plaster cast from the Art Institute of Chicago, and ten years later, this bronze was replicated from it.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Young Sophocles Leading the Chorus of Victory after the Battle of Salamis
  • Artist: John Talbott Donoghue (1854–1903)
  • Founder: Cast by Gorham Manufacturing Company (American, Providence, Rhode Island, 1831–present)
  • Date: 1885, cast 1927
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 92 1/4 x 53 x 32 1/2 in. (234.3 x 134.6 x 82.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1927
  • Object Number: 27.65
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Clock, Tiffany & Co., Marble, bronze, American
Clock
Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1885
Lamp, Louis C. Tiffany American, Leaded Favrile glass and bronze, American
Lamp
Louis C. Tiffany
Tiffany Studios
1904–15
Card table, Charles-Honoré Lannuier American, Mahogany, mahogany veneer, gilded brass with<br/>white pine, mahogany, American
Card table
Charles-Honoré Lannuier
1805–12
Armchair, Louis C. Tiffany American, Prima vera, American ash (secondary wood); marquetry of various woods and brass; replacement upholstery, American
Armchair
Louis C. Tiffany
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company
ca. 1891–93
Library Table, Herter Brothers American, Rosewood, brass, mother-of-pearl, and abalone, American
Library Table
Herter Brothers
1879–82

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

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.