Detail of Latona and her Children, Apollo and Diana by William Henry Rinehart in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jan. 2010

Artist: William Henry Rinehart (1825–1874)

Title: Latona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana

Date: 1870; this version, 1874

Medium: Marble

Dimensions: 46 1/8 x 65 3/4 x 31 in., 2795lb. (117.2 x 167 x 78.7 cm, 1267.8kg)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1905

Accession Number: 05.12

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/americ...

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The Maryland-born Rinehart was one of a group of successful American sculptors who worked in Rome during the mid-nineteenth century. One of his finest works is his depiction of Latona, the Roman goddess of night, seated with Apollo and Diana, the twin children she had by Jupiter, asleep at her side. She looks with tranquil affection at her sleeping infants, who resemble classical putti. Further classical allusions are made by Latona's simplified hair patterns and archaeologically precise costume and sandals. Rinehart masterfully handled both the theme and the composition of this ambitious undertaking, avoiding sentimental "prettiness," which he found "unworthy of sculpture."

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.