Oedipus and the Sphinx

"Oedipus and the Sphinx" was completed in 1827 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The painting depicts Oedipus's encounter with the sphinx who plagued Thebes. Prior to this encounter, Oedipus had left Cornith because an oracle of Delphi told Oedipus that he would kill his father and marry his mother. During Oedipus's journey to Thebes, he encountered a sphinx: a mythical creature that possesses a female human head, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. The sphinx would stop all who encountered it and would only let travelers pass if they were able to solve a riddle. The riddle presented to Oedipus was, "What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?" .Oedipus answered correctly by saying "Man". The riddle represented the three stages of human life: as an infant humans use hands and feet to move, adults walk on two legs, and elders use a cane in addition to their two legs. By Oedipus solving the riddle, he was able to pass and saved Thebes.