Persephone, Bacchante [Bronze]
Dublin Core
Title
Persephone, Bacchante [Bronze]
Subject
Figure sculpture, American--20th century
Description
Persephone (Bacchante), 1932
Bronze, cast c. 1940
Gift of Rogers I. and Mary L. Marquis
1991.040
A bacchante is a female follower of Bacchus, the goddess of spring in Roman mythology. Bacchante are known for their gaiety, mad songs, and frenzied dancing. Fredericks captured the spirit of these creatures in this sculpture through the stout, muscular body and its graceful lines. In 1938, Bacchante won first prize in sculpture in the Dance International exhibition in New York City. In 1972, Henry Booth commissioned Fredericks to make a life-size enlargement of the Bacchante for Cranbrook's Greek Theatre. Fredericks named the larger figure Persephone, the goddess of spring. A comparison of the Bacchante with the full-size plaster Persephone, or with the bronze Persephone in the Sculpture Garden, shows that the sculptor slenderized the later figure, but otherwise did not alter the youthful vitality and beauty of the Bacchante.
Bronze, cast c. 1940
Gift of Rogers I. and Mary L. Marquis
1991.040
A bacchante is a female follower of Bacchus, the goddess of spring in Roman mythology. Bacchante are known for their gaiety, mad songs, and frenzied dancing. Fredericks captured the spirit of these creatures in this sculpture through the stout, muscular body and its graceful lines. In 1938, Bacchante won first prize in sculpture in the Dance International exhibition in New York City. In 1972, Henry Booth commissioned Fredericks to make a life-size enlargement of the Bacchante for Cranbrook's Greek Theatre. Fredericks named the larger figure Persephone, the goddess of spring. A comparison of the Bacchante with the full-size plaster Persephone, or with the bronze Persephone in the Sculpture Garden, shows that the sculptor slenderized the later figure, but otherwise did not alter the youthful vitality and beauty of the Bacchante.
Creator
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
Date
1940
Rights
Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum
Relation
Type
Sculpture
Coverage
University Center (Mich.)
Sculpture Item Type Metadata
Physical Dimensions
13" x 10"
Materials
Bronze
Catalog Number
1991.040
Object Location
Main Exhibit Gallery
Provenance
1989 December 7, Gift of Rogers and Mary Marquis
Notes
From Jennifer Lentz (Collection Documentation Intern 1991-1992)
Memo dated July 30, 1991:
"RE: Bacchante and Persephone
On July 26, 1991 Molly told me that she had changed the original date of Bacchante from 1938 to 1935 in her records. She also said that Henry Booth (George's son) wanted it enlarged and placed at Cranbrook. Since a Bacchante is a female follower of the Roman wine god Bacchus, this name was not considers appropriate. Thus, when Fredericks enlarged Bacchante and placed it at the Cranbrook Greek Theater in 1972 he changed the name to Persephone."
From Jennifer Lentz (Collection Documentation Intern 1991-1992)
Memo dated September 5, 1991
"RE: Works at Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum:
Two Sisters/Mother and Child
Childhood Friends
Torso of a Dancer
Persephone (Bacchante)
Also on display is a small-scale Persephone which we call Bacchante. The label states it was created in 1935 and cast in 1989. The 1935 date corresponds to our records but we had this cast dated to 1991. I think the 1989 date is more accurate."
Memo dated July 30, 1991:
"RE: Bacchante and Persephone
On July 26, 1991 Molly told me that she had changed the original date of Bacchante from 1938 to 1935 in her records. She also said that Henry Booth (George's son) wanted it enlarged and placed at Cranbrook. Since a Bacchante is a female follower of the Roman wine god Bacchus, this name was not considers appropriate. Thus, when Fredericks enlarged Bacchante and placed it at the Cranbrook Greek Theater in 1972 he changed the name to Persephone."
From Jennifer Lentz (Collection Documentation Intern 1991-1992)
Memo dated September 5, 1991
"RE: Works at Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum:
Two Sisters/Mother and Child
Childhood Friends
Torso of a Dancer
Persephone (Bacchante)
Also on display is a small-scale Persephone which we call Bacchante. The label states it was created in 1935 and cast in 1989. The 1935 date corresponds to our records but we had this cast dated to 1991. I think the 1989 date is more accurate."
Files
Citation
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Persephone, Bacchante [Bronze],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed April 18, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5089.