Animation | History, Movies, Television, & Facts | Britannica
Animation is the art of making inanimate objects appear to move. History's first recorded animator is, arguably, Pygmalion of Greek and Roman mythology.
Aug 16, 2024
Pygmalion
Animation is the art of making inanimate objects appear to move. History’s first recorded animator is, arguably, <anchor>Pygmalion</anchor> of Greek and Roman mythology. The theory of the animated cartoon preceded the invention of the cinema by half a century.
Pygmalion | Mythology, Sculptor, King | Britannica
Pygmalion \| Mythology, Sculptor, King \| Britannica

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[Pygmalion](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pygmalion)

Table of Contents


Introduction
[References & Edit History](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pygmalion/additional-info) [Related Topics](/facts/Pygmalion)

[Images](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pygmalion/images-videos)

[![Gérôme, Jean-Léon: Pygmalion and Galatea](https://cdn.britannica.com/64/136364-004-622067FE/Pygmalion-and-Galatea-oil-canvas-Jean-Leon-Gerome-1890.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/64/136364-050-0FD9E70B/Pygmalion-and-Galatea-oil-canvas-Jean-Leon-Gerome-1890.jpg)

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[![Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece.](https://cdn.britannica.com/22/99622-131-65926F1A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/quiz/from-athena-to-zeus-basics-of-greek-mythology)

[From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology](/quiz/from-athena-to-zeus-basics-of-greek-mythology)

[![mythology. Greek. Hermes. (Roman Mercury)](https://cdn.britannica.com/93/93393-131-20489910/artwork-hat-staff-man-messenger-Hermes-sandals.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/quiz/a-study-of-greek-and-roman-mythology)

[A Study of Greek and Roman Mythology](/quiz/a-study-of-greek-and-roman-mythology)

[![Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.](https://cdn.britannica.com/23/176123-131-94DCF6F8/Aphrodite.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/quiz/ancient-gods-and-monsters-quiz)

[Ancient Gods and Monsters Quiz](/quiz/ancient-gods-and-monsters-quiz)

Related Questions


- [Who are some of the major figures of Greek mythology?](/question/Who-are-some-of-the-major-figures-of-Greek-mythology)
- [What are some major works in Greek mythology?](/question/What-are-some-major-works-in-Greek-mythology)
- [When did Greek mythology start?](/question/When-did-Greek-mythology-start)
- [What are some examples of legends?](/question/What-are-some-examples-of-legends)

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Contents


[Philosophy & Religion](/browse/Philosophy-Religion)[Ancient Religions & Mythology](/browse/Ancient-Religions-Mythology)

# Pygmalion

Greek mythology



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[Article History](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pygmalion/additional-info#history)


Table of Contents


[![](https://cdn.britannica.com/64/136364-050-0FD9E70B/Pygmalion-and-Galatea-oil-canvas-Jean-Leon-Gerome-1890.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/64/136364-050-0FD9E70B/Pygmalion-and-Galatea-oil-canvas-Jean-Leon-Gerome-1890.jpg)

[Gérôme, Jean-Léon: _Pygmalion and Galatea_](https://cdn.britannica.com/64/136364-050-0FD9E70B/Pygmalion-and-Galatea-oil-canvas-Jean-Leon-Gerome-1890.jpg) _Pygmalion and Galatea_, oil on canvas by Jean-Léon Gérôme, _c._ 1890; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. 88.9 × 68.6 cm.(more)

**Pygmalion**, in [Greek mythology](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology), a king who was the father of Metharme and, through her marriage to Cinyras, the grandfather of Adonis, according to [Apollodorus of Athens](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Apollodorus-of-Athens). The Roman poet [Ovid](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovid-Roman-poet), in his _[Metamorphoses](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metamorphoses-poem-by-Ovid)_, Book X, relates that Pygmalion, a sculptor, makes an ivory statue representing his ideal of womanhood and then falls in love with his own creation, which he names Galatea; the goddess Venus brings the statue to life in answer to his prayer. Their daughter [Paphos](https://www.britannica.com/place/Paphos) gives her name to the city of Paphos, the centre of [Aphrodite’s](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aphrodite-Greek-mythology) [worship](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/worship) on [Cyprus](https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus). The story was the inspiration for many artists: [Jean-Léon Gérôme](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Leon-Gerome) depicted the moment of transformation, and [George Bernard Shaw’s](https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Bernard-Shaw) _Pygmalion_ in turn provided the basis of [Alan Jay Lerner](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alan-Jay-Lerner) and [Frederick Loewe’s](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Loewe) musical, _My Fair Lady_.

This article was most recently revised and updated by [Virginia Gorlinski](/editor/Virginia-Gorlinski/6739).