Aurora and Cephalus was painted in 1810 by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin in oil on canvas. The work presents a scene from classical mythology, showing the goddess Aurora (Eos) with Cephalus, and is associated with the artist’s mature period during the early 19th century in France. This painting is held in the collection of the Louvre Museum. The composition centers on a reclining, nude male figure, Cephalus, resting on clouds with a blue drapery beneath him.

Above him stands Aurora, crowned with flowers and raising her arms to scatter flowers over Cephalus, while a small winged cupid hovers at her side. The background is filled with stars and swirling clouds, with the figures illuminated by a soft, diffused light that highlights their forms and the delicate rendering of skin and fabric. The use of cool blues and warm flesh tones creates a contrast that draws attention to the figures against the night sky. Aurora and Cephalus is representative of the neoclassical style that characterized French academic painting in the early 19th century.

The subject, drawn from Greco-Roman mythology, was a popular theme in European art of the period. The painting entered the Louvre collection, where it remains today, as part of the museum’s holdings of important neoclassical works.