Why is this Sculptor Kissing His Own Statue?

Crossing the line between artist and muse

Detail of ‘Pygmalion and Galatea’ (c. 1890) by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Oil on canvas. 88.9 × 68.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S. Image source The Met (Public domain)

This painting shows a sculptor passionately gripping his own marble creation and kissing it. The lady statue appears to respond: she clasps the sculptor’s hand and leans into the kiss.

With fragments of stone scattered on the floor and the sculptor’s hammer discarded, the statue embraces her…