Bacchante and Infant Faun

Frederick MacMonnies, born New York City 1863-died New York City 1937 · 1894

A nineteen-year-old mother and baby modeled for Frederick MacMonnies’ most popular work, Bacchante and Infant Faun. Bacchantes were mythological figures who served the infant god of wine, Bacchus. The French government bought a cast of the statue at the 1894 Paris Salon, securing MacMonnies’ reputation as a formidable sculptor. The original version was later put on display at the Boston Public Library, where it caused one of the greatest art scandals of the decade. Citizens were upset, not only because the statue represented debauchery and drunkenness, but also because the sculptor had shamelessly modeled a “naked” person rather than a classical nude figure.