The Funeral of Atala
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
French, 1767–1824

Details
Title
The Funeral of Atala
Artist/Maker
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (French, 1767–1824)
Date
ca. 1811
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
35 x 46 3/8 inches
Credit
Purchase with funds from the Forward Arts Foundation
Accession #
1990.1
Girodet based this painting on a popular French novel by Chateaubriand that loosely retells the story of Romeo and Juliet in a New World setting. Here we see Chactas, a Natchez Indian, mourning his beloved Atala, a half Native American, half European maiden, who has committed suicide to keep from breaking the vow of chastity she had made to her dying mother. A larger version of this painting created a popular sensation when it was exhibited in Paris in 1811.
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