Greco-Roman - Gem with Oedipus and the Sphinx - Walters 42465

The Sphinx (meaning "strangler") was a savage creature with the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird, sent by Hera to plague the city of Thebes. Oedipus encountered her at the entrance to the city, where she allowed none to enter or leave until they had correctly answered her question: "What has one name and is four-footed, two-footed, and three-footed?" Oedipus was the first to be able to answer her riddle correctly with his cunning response of "man," who as an infant crawls, in the prime of life walks on two feet, and in old age carries a cane. The episode, likely part of a long oral tradition, is mentioned in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" (ll. 469 ff.).

In this gem, the winged sphinx with a lion's body and a large female head is seated on a high rock on the right. Oedipus faces the monster and raises his left hand to his mouth to address the Sphinx; he holds a sword in his right. He is nude except for sandals and a cloak tied around his neck.