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
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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 Description
- bronze on marble base
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Allegory — quality — harmony
- Performing arts — music — flute
- Recreation — courting
- Figure group
- Object Number
- 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.