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Bacchante

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun French

1785

Not on view

A subject of fascination for artists since antiquity, the bacchante was typically depicted cavorting with a lustful Bacchus and surrounded by fauns and satyrs. Thus Vigée Le Brun’s serene bacchante confounded Salon audiences and elicited contradictory responses. Critics complained that the figure was more beautiful than sensuous, more nymph than bacchante, but admiration was strong. Her glazed expression and ruddy cheeks suggest that she knew the charms of drink.

Bacchante, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris), Oil on canvas — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Bacchante

Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris)

Date: 1785

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: Oval, 28 7/8 × 23 3/8 in. (73.3 × 59.4 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark, 1939 (1955.954)

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