Bacchante with Laurel Leaves

 

The massive building site of the Garnier Opera House in Paris was begun in 1860. For this occasion, the sculptors of the Louvre once again executed semi-architectural works. A flight of silhouettes lighten the crown of the Opera House (Thanks to works by Millet, Gumery and Lequesne) and reliefs by Guillaume, Jouffroy, Perraud and Carpeaux adorn the façade.

The Bacchante with Laurel Leaves is a section of a sculptural ensemble entitled The Dance executed by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and completed in 1869. One should note that the sensual aspect of the piece greatly shocked the people of the time.