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Painting of a nude, grey-green muscular man holding a swirling celestial sphere overhead, with a winged-helmeted figure striding across pale dunes at right.

Atlas Turned to Stone

A nude, grey-green muscular man stands on a rocky outcrop, straining to hold a swirling celestial sphere on his shoulders, while a winged-helmeted figure in a cloak strides across pale, desert-like dunes at right. Painted in muted tones with a smooth, finished technique, the scene evokes the myth of Atlas and Perseus.

Artist
Edward Burne-Jones
Date
1882
Medium
Source
Wikimedia Commons / Wikidata
Size
1200 × 958 px
Download full size
Public domain · Edward Burne-Jones died 1898 and the work dates by 1882; public domain in the US and life+70 countries.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier B · as stated by the source: Public domain

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Edward Burne-Jones, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Maps and Cosmosoil paintingmythologynude figurepre-raphaeliteburne-jonesgreek mythperseuscelestial spheredesert landscape1880s artatlasmuted palette

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