In Arcadia

Bessie Potter Vonnoh, In Arcadia, ca. 1926, bronze on marble base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.8
Copied Bessie Potter Vonnoh, In Arcadia, ca. 1926, bronze on marble base, 12 7⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 x 6 5⁄8 in. (32.7 x 73.1 x 16.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.8

Artwork Details

Title
In Arcadia
Artist
Founder
Roman Bronze Works
Date
ca. 1926
Location
Dimensions
12 7⁄8 x 28 3⁄4 x 6 5⁄8 in. (32.7 x 73.1 x 16.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze on marble base
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Recreation — courting
  • Performing arts — music — flute
  • Allegory — quality — harmony
Object Number
1994.8
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.8

Artwork Description

The Roman poet Virgil described Arcadia as a paradise where gods and mortals coexisted happily, and this pastoral ideal captured the imagination of many artists in the late nineteenth century. Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s version follows the vogue for elegant, stylized figures that dominated American sculpture of the 1920s. These unmistakably modern figures represent the youthful Pan amusing his lady friend with a flute.