the collector's folio

Gustave Moreau Most Popular Paintings

The 25 artworks by Gustave Moreau our visitors ask for most, ranked by popularity and presented one by one, with the specification and the price of each hand-painted reproduction.

Edition 2026 · 25 artworks Each artwork painted to order
Linen canvas · Certificate of authenticity · Delivered worldwide Gustave Moreau · 1826 – 1898

The Apparition

1876 · original 72 x 105 cm

Explore Gustave Moreau’s ‘The Apparition’ (1876), a mesmerizing Symbolist watercolor depicting a biblical vision. Rich symbolism, ethereal beauty & intricate detail – a timeless masterpiece.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 1 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$28126 × 39 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$48072 × 105 cm Commission at original size

Phaeton

1878 · The Louvre, Paris

Explore Gustave Moreau’s ‘Phaeton,’ a captivating Symbolist painting of myth & drama. Discover its rich details, vibrant colors & legacy at the Louvre.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 2 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$20625 × 40 cm Commission this artwork

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist

1876 · Metropolitan Museum of Art, new york · original 22 x 12 cm

Gustave Moreau’s haunting ‘Salome with the Head of John the Baptist’ (1876) is a Symbolist masterpiece exploring desire, regret, and morality through psychological depth & evocative symbolism. Discover its rich details at WahooArt.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 3 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$20625 × 40 cm Commission this artwork

Salome Dancing before Herod

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 4 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18127 × 37 cm Commission this artwork

Jason and Medea

1865 · The Louvre, Paris

Explore Gustave Moreau's haunting depiction of Jason and Medea! Symbolist masterpiece featuring dramatic figures, mythological symbolism & psychological depth - now available as stunning reproductions.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 5 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18124 × 42 cm Commission this artwork

Mystical Flower

1890 · Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris

Dive into Gustave Moreau's 'Mystical Flower,' a captivating Symbolist masterpiece (1890). Explore its rich mythology, religious symbolism & intricate details within the Musée Gustave Moreau’s collection.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 6 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18123 × 43 cm Commission this artwork

Diomède dévoré par ses chevaux

Witness Gustave Moreau's haunting 'Diomède Dévoré Par Ses Chevaux.' This Symbolist masterpiece depicts the tragic myth of Heracles and Diomedes, rendered with vibrant color and symbolic depth. Own a stunning, hand-painted reproduction today.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 7 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18126 × 39 cm Commission this artwork

Salome in Prison

1876 · National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

A haunting Symbolist masterpiece of spiritual melancholy, Gustave Moreau's Salome in Prison captures a dreamlike moment of mythic devotion through ethereal light and muted tones, inviting you to explore this timeless vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 8 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18128 × 36 cm Commission this artwork

Salome

1875 · Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris

Gustave Moreau's 'Salome' (1875) is a mesmerizing Symbolist painting brimming with myth, mystery, and opulent detail. Explore its rich symbolism, artistic influences, and the captivating story of the biblical figure.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 9 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18126 × 38 cm Commission this artwork

Salome Dancing

1886 · Musée d'Orsay, Paris · original 336 x 213 cm

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 10 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18127 × 38 cm Commission this artwork

The Mermaids, circa 1885

Grand Palais, Paris · original 118 x 89 cm

An opulent underwater realm of mythic beauty unfolds in Gustave Moreau's The Mermaids, a Symbolist masterpiece of shimmering golds and deep blues that invites you to explore the enchanting depths of this timeless vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 11 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18136 × 28 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$469118 × 89 cm Commission at original size

Pieta

1854 · Städelsche Kunstinstitut Und Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt · original 75 x 96 cm

Experience Gustave Moreau's poignant "Pieta" (1854). This Symbolist masterpiece captures Mary’s grief and divine connection with stunning detail & emotional depth. Explore its rich symbolism at the Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 12 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18135 × 29 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$37096 × 75 cm Commission at original size

Salom Dancing before Herod

1876 · Armand Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles · original 103 x 144 cm

Gustave Moreau

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 13 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18127 × 38 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$599103 × 144 cm Commission at original size

The Tatooed Salome

1875 · Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris

Gustave Moreau

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 14 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18125 × 40 cm Commission this artwork

The Daughters of Thespius

1853 · original 255 x 258 cm

A dreamlike vision of ancient Greek mythology unfolds in Gustave Moreau's The Daughters of Thespius, a Symbolist masterpiece of intricate detail and mythic beauty that invites you to bring this legend home.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 15 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18131 × 32 cm Commission this artwork

Saint George

Explore Gustave Moreau’s dramatic ‘Saint George’ painting – a Romantic masterpiece featuring a heroic dragon slaying! Discover its bold lines, rich colors & symbolic depth.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 16 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$20626 × 39 cm Commission this artwork

The Muses Leaving Their Father Apollo to go and Enlighten th

Moreau’s mesmerizing Symbolist painting captures a poignant tableau of departing muses leaving Apollo, bathed in an otherworldly glow and punctuated by symbolic elements like birds and a clock—a testament to his masterful artistic vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 17 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18123 × 43 cm Commission this artwork

Dejanira (Autumn)

A hauntingly beautiful mythological dreamscape, Gustave Moreau’s Symbolist painting Dejanira (Autumn) uses ethereal light and muted tones to evoke profound emotion, inviting you to explore this timeless vision.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 18 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18129 × 35 cm Commission this artwork

The Voices

1867 · Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid · original 220 x 115 cm

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 19 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18123 × 44 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$912115 × 220 cm Commission at original size

Ganymede

1886

Explore Gustave Moreau's 'Ganymede,' a captivating Symbolist watercolor from 1886. Discover its dreamlike style, mythological themes & rich artistic legacy.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 20 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18127 × 37 cm Commission this artwork

Prince Hamlet kill King Claudius

Gustave Moreau’s dramatic depiction of Hamlet’s fatal act—a Symbolist masterpiece brimming with intensity and shadowed figures—captures Shakespeare's tragedy. Explore this evocative artwork and bring its timeless beauty into your space.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 21 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18126 × 39 cm Commission this artwork

Jupiter and Semele

1895 · original 213 x 118 cm

Experience the dreamlike intensity of Gustave Moreau's Symbolist masterpiece Jupiter and Semele, a mythic tableau of divine drama and ethereal light that invites you to bring this legendary vision into your collection.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 22 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18123 × 43 cm Commission this artwork

Same size as the original$907118 × 213 cm Commission at original size

The Unicorns (Les Licornes in French) - Gustave Moreau

2026

Discover Gustave Moreau’s Symbolist masterpiece The Unicorns, a dreamlike fusion of myth and desire in rich golds and blues. Own this iconic wall art today at WahooArt.com.

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Hesiod and the Muse

Witness the divine encounter! Gustave Moreau's 'Hesiod and the Muse' captures myth & inspiration with stunning symbolism, angels, and musical harmony – a captivating Symbolist masterpiece.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 24 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18124 × 42 cm Commission this artwork

Jacob and the Angel

Moreau's Jacob and the Angel depicts a woman wrestling with an angel amidst trees and birds, embodying Symbolist ideals of mythic storytelling and psychological exploration.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 25 of 538 artworks by Gustave Moreau
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$18123 × 43 cm Commission this artwork

The artist

Gustave Moreau

1826 – 1898

Quick facts

Lifespan72 years
Works on APS538
Typical colorsearthy
Topics exploredsymbolism, mythology, dreamscape, landscape, religion
Top-ranked workThe Apparition
NationalityFrance
Art period19th Century
Room fitliving room

Biography

The Life and Art of Gustave Moreau

Gustave Moreau was a French artist who lived a life deeply connected to the streets of Paris. Born in the city on April 6, 1826, he spent his years navigating the shifting currents of the nineteenth century. He was a central figure in the Symbolist movement, a period that looked away from the literal world to find meaning in the unseen. His work was not a pursuit of mere imitation, but an attempt to give form to the internal landscape of the human psyche.

His output was immense. Throughout his life, he produced over 15,000 paintings, watercolors, and drawings. This vast collection reflects a man who was constantly translating myth and religion into a personal visual language. He worked with an intensity that saw him create a massive body of work before he passed away in Paris on April 18, 1898.

His art often focused on the heavy, psychological weight of ancient stories. Rather than simply illustrating a scene, he sought to capture the spiritual essence of his subjects. This approach made him a singular voice in a time when many of his peers were focused on the fleeting light of the natural world. His dedication to this inward exploration left behind a profound record of the human soul.

Early Life, Family and Training

Born into a bourgeois family in Paris, France, Gustave Moreau grew up in a household where structure and melody met. His father, Louis Jean Marie Moreau, worked as an architect and archivist, providing a sense of order and historical depth to their home. His mother, Adèle-Pauline Desmoutier, was a musician, and her influence added a rhythmic sensibility to the family's atmosphere. From a very young age, Gustave showed a natural talent for drawing, a gift that seemed to emerge almost instinctively as he explored the world around him.

His formal education began at Collège Rollin, which is known today as Collège-lycée Jacques-Decour. This early schooling provided the foundation for his later, more specialized studies. He eventually entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he underwent rigorous academic training. It was here that he studied under figures such as François-Édouard Picot, learning the technical discipline required to master the classical traditions of his time.

Artistic Development and Italian Travels

By the 1850s, Moreau felt the pull of the past, a need to understand the foundations of the art he so deeply respected. This led him to Italy, a period that would fundamentally reshape his vision. He did not merely observe the works of the masters; he lived among them, spending his time making hundreds of copies and studies of Old Master paintings. These were not simple exercises for him. Through the act of replication, he sought to absorb the secrets of composition and the psychological depth found in the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. He studied their anatomy and their ability to capture the human spirit, absorbing their techniques to build his own visual language.

While the Italian masters provided a structural foundation, other influences added a layer of emotional intensity to his developing style. He found himself drawn to the dramatic use of color seen in the works of Eugène Delacroix. This fascination with how color could convey narrative and feeling became a cornerstone of his approach. He was not interested in the objective reality of the world around him, but rather in how light and pigment could express the internal movements of the soul. His time in Italy allowed him to synthesize these diverse influences, blending the classical precision of the Renaissance with a more modern, expressive use of color.

Technique and Symbolic Style

Moreau’s approach to the canvas was a slow, deliberate process. He favored a meticulous layering of paint, building up surfaces that possessed a heavy, physical presence. This method allowed him to create rich textures that seemed to hold light within them. To deepen the spiritual weight of his subjects, he often incorporated gold leaf, a choice that lent his scenes a Byzantine quality. He was less interested in the surface of the natural world and more focused on the expressive power of color and form to convey a specific mood or a hidden meaning.

His paintings are filled with a dense language of symbols. A serpent might appear to represent temptation, while jewels are used to signify earthly desires. These elements do not merely decorate the scene; they act as visual cues for the viewer to look toward the psychological or the spiritual. Through this intricate detail, he built a dreamlike atmosphere where the boundaries of reality felt thin. The figures in his work often seem to exist in a state of suspension, caught between the physical and the ethereal.

Notable Masterpieces and Works

Many of Moreau's most recognized paintings emerged from his deep interest in the stories of antiquity and the Bible. In 1864, he exhibited Oedipus and the Sphinx, a work that helped establish his reputation. His fascination with the figure of Salome led to several different interpretations. One of his most famous works is Salome Dancing before Herod, which captures the tension of the biblical narrative through his unique, detailed approach. He also produced The Apparition between 1874 and 1876, a piece that highlights the strange, dreamlike atmosphere he often sought to create.

As his career progressed, his compositions grew in complexity. In 1885, he painted Voices of Evening, a watercolor that demonstrates his ability to use soft textures to convey a sense of spiritual quietude. Later in his life, in 1895, he completed Jupiter and Semele, a work that reflects the grand, mythological scale he favored. His canvases often felt less like windows into a real room and more like stages for the subconscious, where light and shadow worked together to suggest something beyond the physical world.

Circle, Pupils and Teaching

In his later years, Moreau moved from the quiet seclusion of his studio into the classroom. In 1893, he accepted a professorship at the École des Beaux-Arts, a position that allowed him to pass his ideas to a new generation of painters. He did not teach his students to merely mimic his hand or his specific way of applying paint. Instead, he encouraged them to look inward. He urged them to embrace their own imagination and to find their own unique modes of individual expression, pushing them to move beyond the rigid rules of the academy.

This emphasis on the internal life of the artist left a mark on many who sat in his lectures. Among those who studied under him was Henri Matisse, who would go on to reshape the landscape of modern art. Georges Rouault was another of his pupils, absorbing the lessons of symbolism and personal vision that Moreau championed. Through these students, his belief in the importance of the subconscious and the spiritual became a part of the broader evolution of French painting.

Legacy and Enduring Influence

By the 1890s, Moreau had become a central figure in the Symbolist movement. He did not seek the spotlight, yet his presence was felt deeply by those who followed him. His influence reached into the classrooms of the École des Beaux-Arts, where he encouraged his students to look inward and embrace their own imagination. This focus on individual expression helped pave the way for the modern art that would emerge in the decades following his death.

While his specific style was sometimes met with mixed reactions during his lifetime, his importance was recognized again in the latter half of the 20th century. This period saw a significant reevaluation of his work, as people looked past the surface to find the psychological depth he had spent his life exploring. He is now widely regarded as a precursor to modern art, a man who helped shift the focus of painting from the external world to the internal soul.

The Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris remains a place where his vision is preserved. The building itself, which he helped transform into a museum, keeps his memory alive in the very space where he lived and worked. It is a quiet place that holds the weight of his many years of study and creation.

Where to See the Works Today

To experience his art in the most intimate way, one can visit the Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris, France. This museum is housed in the very building that served as his home and studio. Walking through these spaces allows you to see the environment where he lived and worked, providing a direct connection to his daily life and creative process.

Beyond his personal residence, several major institutions hold his paintings. In Paris, the Louvre also maintains two of his works in its collection. For those traveling further, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds two more of his paintings, allowing his vision to reach audiences far beyond the streets of France.

Oedipus and the Sphinx (1864)
Jason and Medea (1865)

Questions & Answers

What are the birthplace and birth year of Gustave Moreau?

Gustave Moreau was born in Paris in 1826.

Can I browse Gustave Moreau's works by mood?

The Mood Room of Gustave Moreau is a page that arranges the artist's artworks by mood.

Where are Gustave Moreau's artworks grouped by technique?

Gustave Moreau's works can be browsed by medium on the artist's All Medium page.

By the WahooArt.com Editorial Team Updated Oct. 13, 2026

Collector's quiz

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