The Genius of the Dance
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
(French, 1827-1875)
CultureFrench
Dateafter 1912
MediumGilt bronze
DimensionsOverall: 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm)
InscribedSigned & inscribed: "Susse Fondeur Paris & Fondu Sur Le Modele Originale en 1912".
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2057
Not on view
DescriptionBronze sculpture of a standing figure with a tambourine with arms upraised. (Genius of the Dance). Bronze with gilt patina.Label Textean-Baptiste Carpeaux French (1827-1875) The Genius of the Dance, after 1912 Gilt bronze Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2057 In 1865 the great French Romantic sculptor Carpeaux was commissioned to produce a monumental stone sculptural group for the façade of the new Opéra in Paris. He created The Dance, depicting a circle of nude female figures whirling around a central male-the "genius," or guiding spirit, of the dance-who was shown keeping time for the dancers with a tambourine. Unveiled in 1869, Carpeaux's boisterous and erotic sculpture prompted a storm of controversy. Despite the early criticism, The Dance soon became one of his most popular works, and the artist went on to issue individual parts of the group as separate and distinct sculptures. The most sought-after of these extracted images was The Genius of the Dance, which Carpeaux reproduced in plaster, marble, terracotta, and bronze reductions of varying sizes. After Carpeaux's death, his heirs continued the process and in 1909 contracted the Paris bronze foundry Susse Frères to issue authorized bronze editions of The Genius in three sizes: at 56, 84 and 103 centimeters in height. The example here belongs to the largest of these Susse editions, priced originally at 1,600 francs. The puckish child, who sprawls at the Genius's feet, waving a jester's wand, symbolizes the unbridled, bacchic quality dance. Edited By: DS Edited Date: 08/2005 Approved By: MHM Approval Date: 10/11/2005Exhibition History"Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006.
Pair/Pair