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
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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
- Figure female — child — bust
- State of being — mood — meditation
- Object Number
- 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.”
