The sculpture is a bust of a female figure with classical features. Her hair is styled elegantly, pulled back and adorned with a laurel wreath. The sculpture is crafted from smooth, white marble. The material captures the light softly, highlighting the detailing in her hair and the expression on her face. She is positioned on a circular pedestal, slightly elevated above eye level. This positioning allows viewers to observe the sculpture from various angles. The overall look of the sculpture is timeless and classic, reminiscent of ancient Greco-Roman art.
Read the visual description

The sculpture is a bust of a female figure with classical features. Her hair is styled elegantly, pulled back and adorned with a laurel wreath. The sculpture is crafted from smooth, white marble. The material captures the light softly, highlighting the detailing in her hair and the expression on her face. She is positioned on a circular pedestal, slightly elevated above eye level. This positioning allows viewers to observe the sculpture from various angles. The overall look of the sculpture is timeless and classic, reminiscent of ancient Greco-Roman art.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

Bacchante

Alexander Galt

Date
n.d.
Medium
marble
Dimensions
overall: 53.02 × 40.64 × 22.54 cm (20 7/8 × 16 × 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Bust
Accession number
2015.19.3808
Credit line
Corcoran Collection (Gift of William Wilson Corcoran, 1873)
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CSD

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • carved
  • classical
  • mythology
  • Acquired after publication of European [and American] Sculpture of the Nineteenth Century
  • Bacchante
  • bust
  • figure
Provenance

The artist; purchased sometime after November 1853 by William Wilson Corcoran [1798-1888], Washington;[1] gift 1873 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art. [1] Betsy Fahlman, _Spirit of the South: The Sculpture of Alexander Galt, 1827-1863_, exh. cat., Joseph and Margaret Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, 1992: 79.

Inscription

on the back: A Galt

NGA object ID 176663. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.