Artwork preview

The Return of Neptune

John Singleton Copley

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Return of Neptune by John Singleton Copley: A large painting depicting a muscular, bearded man with long white hair wearing a crown and a green cloth around his waist, sitting on a chariot being pulled by four gray horses through choppy water. The man holds a trident in his right hand and a ball in his left hand. A cherub flies above him to the right, holding a spear and a plant. A nude woman sits to his right. A white horse-like creature with a snake-like tail is under the chariot. Two men in the background play a horn. The sky is blue with dark clouds. The man and cherub face right.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1754
Medium
Oil on canvas
Culture
American
Dimensions
599 × 370 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette