Artwork
Melpomene
Melpomene is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Joseph Fagnani. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Fagnani painted her in 1869, when most American portraits showed wealthy people or heroes.
A woman in a dark dress looks over her shoulder, one hand resting on a lyre. The background is plain, almost black, so her face and the instrument stand out.
This is Melpomene, the Greek muse of tragedy. Fagnani painted her in 1869, when most American portraits showed wealthy people or heroes. Here, the muse isn’t grand, just quiet, like she’s waiting for the right moment to speak.
If you like how light and shadow shape a face, look up chiaroscuro.
Subject & Meaning
The painting titled Melpomene, executed by Joseph Fagnani in 1869, presents a single female sitter rendered in oil on canvas (110.5 cm × 83.8 cm). The work belongs to the portrait genre and is housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its subject is a woman, depicted with the conventions of 19th‑century portraiture, though the sources do not elaborate on additional iconographic or symbolic attributes.
The title alludes to the Greek Muse of tragedy, but the visual program focuses on the sitter’s likeness rather than explicit narrative symbolism.
Technique & Style
Melpomene is an oil painting on canvas created in 1869. The work measures 110.5 cm in height and 83.8 cm in width, executed with oil paint on a canvas support. It belongs to the portrait genre and is housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Documentation records the height, width, and oil on canvas technique. The composition portrays a woman identified as Melpomene, reflecting the formal conventions of 19th‑century portraiture.
History & Provenance
Joseph Fagnani created the oil-on-canvas portrait titled Melpomene in 1869. The work depicts a woman and is classified within the genre of portraiture. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within its American Wing.
The painting measures 110.5 cm in height and 83.8 cm in width. No specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the initial patron, or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.
Context
Joseph Fagnani painted Melpomene in 1869 as an oil portrait of a woman, a work now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and displayed in the American Wing. The canvas measures 110.5 cm by 83.8 cm and is catalogued as a portrait genre piece, reflecting the museum’s emphasis on 19th‑century American portraiture. Its inclusion among the museum’s distinguished holdings underscores its significance within the narrative of American art, while the precise documentation of its dimensions and medium provides a factual basis for scholarly study of the artist’s output.
Overview
Joseph Fagnani's 1869 oil painting, Melpomene, offers a contemplative portrayal of the Greek muse of tragedy. Executed on canvas, this work is part of the American Wing collection. The composition features a solitary female figure, her gaze directed over her shoulder, with one hand resting gently upon a lyre. The subdued, almost black background emphasizes her presence and the instrument.
Artist & collection
