Art Institute of Chicago

Hebe and the Eagle of Jupiter

François Rude (French, 1784–1855)

Date

Modeled c. 1852, cast c. 1860–80

Medium

Bronze

Culture

France

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Toward the end of his career, François Rude’s native city of Dijon, France, commissioned him to create a marble sculpture. For its subject, Rude chose the Greek goddess of youth, Hebe, whom he depicted as cupbearer to the gods, raising a vessel of the divine beverage ambrosia above her father, Zeus, in the guise of an eagle. Rude made the model for the marble statue in 1852 but did not live to finish the work, which was completed by his nephew. This bronze is a smaller version of the marble, and the existence of many other similar casts indicate the work’s popularity.

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