La Petite Pensee

Copied Thomas Ball, La Petite Pensee, modeled ca. 1867, marble, 15 5⁄8 x 12 7⁄8 x 8 3⁄4 in. (39.7 x 32.7 x 22.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.56
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
La Petite Pensee
Artist
Date
modeled ca. 1867
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
15 5⁄8 x 12 7⁄8 x 8 3⁄4 in. (39.7 x 32.7 x 22.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • State of being — mood — meditation
  • Figure female — child — bust
Object Number
1973.56
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1973.56

Artwork Description

Thomas Ball’s eight-year-old niece, Annie Chickering, posed for this sculpture in the late 1860s. The figure appears deep in thought, gazing down at the pansies and lilies on her bodice. The title of the piece is likely a pun combining the words “pansy” and pensée, which means “thought.” The sculpture also illustrates a line from act 4 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in which Ophelia says to Laertes: “. . . and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”