Actaeon (#2)

Paul Manship, Actaeon (#2), 1922, bronze on marble base, 10 ⁵⁄₈ x 7 ⁷⁄₈ x 4 ³⁄₈ in. (26.9 x 20.0 x 11.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.50

Artwork Details

Title: Actaeon (#2)
Artist: Paul Manship
Date: 1922
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
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4th Floor
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49A
Dimensions: 10 ⁵⁄₈ x 7 ⁷⁄₈ x 4 ³⁄₈ in. (26.9 x 20.0 x 11.2 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Paul Manship
Mediums: bronze
marble
Mediums Description: bronze on marble base
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Mythology — classical — Actaeon
Animal — dog
Figure male — nude
Figure male — full length
Object Number: 1966.47.50
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.47.50

Artwork Description

This sculpture is one of a pair that Paul Manship created to illustrate the story of Diana and Actaeon. The hunter Actaeon surprised the goddess Diana while she was bathing. To prevent him from telling anybody that he had seen her naked, the goddess fired an arrow and turned him into a stag. In the sculpture, Actaeon appears to have been just hit, while the accompanying piece shows Diana with her bow raised. In this way, Manship created a link between the two sculptures through the flight of an unseen arrow.