Paul Manship, Actaeon (#1), 1925, bronze, 48 x 52 in. (121.9 x 132.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1965.16.33
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Actaeon (#1)
- Artist
- Founder
- Alexis Rudier Fondeur
- Date
- 1925
- Location
- Dimensions
- 48 x 52 in. (121.9 x 132.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the artist
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- bronze
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Animal — dog
- Occupation — hunter
- Figure male — nude
- Figure male — full length
- Mythology — classical — Actaeon
- Object Number
- 1965.16.33
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.