The Sphinx, half woman and half beast, clings to Oedipus's chest as she poses her deadly riddle. This eerie, jewel-like painting was the sensation of the 1864 Paris Salon and made Moreau famous overnight.
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Oedipus and the Sphinx
Gustave Moreau · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gustave Moreau, 1864. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Open Access (public domain).