Latona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana

Latona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana

William Henry Rinehart

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In his interpretations of ancient myths and legends, Rinehart, who was based in Rome, avoided the extraneous detail and emotionalism favored by other American expatriate sculptors. Here, Latona (Leto in Greek), goddess of darkness, is seated beside the sleeping Apollo and Diana (Artemis), the twin children she had by Jupiter (Zeus). The goddess looks down with tranquil affection upon the putti-like infants, later to become, respectively, the god of light and the sun and the goddess of the moon and the hunt. A restrained classicism is also evident in Latona’s facial features, simplified hair pattern, and archaeologically precise clothing and sandals.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Latona and Her Children, Apollo and DianaLatona and Her Children, Apollo and DianaLatona and Her Children, Apollo and DianaLatona and Her Children, Apollo and DianaLatona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.