Centauress and Faun () is a bronze sculpture realized by in 1849 and subsequently cast by Édouard Quesnel between 1850 and 1852. It is located in front of the , one of the entrances of the Parc de la Tête d'or in Lyon, France.
The full-size artwork depicts a female centaur carrying a humanoid faun away on her back. It also includes a variety of bacchic elements such as grapes and cups, as well as a small panther. The sculpture is named, signed and dated on its base.
The sculpture was exposed twice at the Paris Salon, first as a model, and then as the final bronze. This led to its assessment by art critics from various periodicals of the time. While it garnered some praise for its execution, the subject of the group proved controversial because of its then unusual nature.
Description.
The bronze sculpture itself is high and wide, without its stone pedestal. The sculpture is said to be (what is called in French), in opposition to a relief. As such, since it is not attached to a pedestal or a background, it is meant to be observable from all sides, without compromising perspective.
While centaurs are most often depicted as male, this one is a centauress (or centauride), with the anatomy of a woman from head to waist and then of a horse below. The faun himself is depicted as a young man, entirely humanoid.
Thematically, the story told by the artwork takes a stance opposed to the common theme, since it depicts a centauress carrying away a faun, instead of the more traditional motif of the male centaur carrying away a nymph, often by force. To the contrary, here the faun seems to be eager to follow of his own will.
History.
The sculpture was realized first as a model in 1849 by Courtet. This model was then exposed at the Paris Salon of the same year.
In 1850, the French state ordered the realization of a bronze from the model for 10000 Francs (germinal). This made the sculpture one of the first publicly funded artworks dedicated to classical topics in France. It was cast by Quesnel in Paris between 1850 and 1852, as attested by an inscription on the statue. It was then exposed again at the Paris Salon of 1852, this time as a fully fledged bronze. Soon after the same year, it was donated to the city of Lyon.
The sculpture was originally installed in a prominent location of the , an inner courtyard of what is today the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. In April 1952, it was moved to the Parc de la Tête d'or, replacing another faun-themed sculpture made by Joseph Bernard. It now stands in front of the , the South-West entrance of the park, and has remained there since then. After becoming rusted with time, it was restored shortly before 2012.
Critical reception.
The exhibition of the sculpture at two separate instances of the Salon (1849 and 1852) gave to various art critics writing for periodicals of the time the opportunity to review the group.
In reviews of the sculpture at the 1849 and 1852 Salons, most critics expressed surprise or puzzlement at the topic of the artwork. In an otherwise very positive and quite lyrical review, F. Mercey from "La Revue des deux Mondes" questioned why Courtet seemingly called the group a Bacchanalia. He inferred that the associated accessories (grapes, vines, cups), while serving the composition well, were introduced to mitigate the topic's outrageous nature, as in his opinion the actual focus of the artwork was the overwhelmingly erotic component of the scene. He argued that there was no doubt that the two beings were under "a very different kind of intoxication" from the one caused by alcohol, something supported by the energy of the centauress as well as her very nature, leading her to "burn with the double love ignited in her double sides".
The overall composition with the position of the faun was appreciated, and the addition of the young leopard was found a satisfactory way to fill the empty space at the bottom of the group. While the general movement of the group was deemed "lively and graceful" by one critic, another questioned the compelled nature of the movement with which the faun is brought into the embrace of the centauress.
The anatomy of the centauress herself proved a point of contention. While the quality of the extremities was praised, The visible thinning of part of the horse body was found to negatively impact the proportions of the anatomy, leading to a lack of elegance. One critic went further, judging that the lack of harmony between the torso and the rest of the body was so bad that "the bronze [used to cast the statue] would have deserved another model".
Adolphe Breulier, from the "Revue Archéologique", commented that the ancients considered as extremely difficult the realization of such creatures in sculpture. He explained that the most delicate part of such a realization was the transition between the human torso and the lower part of the equestrian neck. He consequently judged that Courtet had partially avoided this hardship by surrounding the critical spot with an ivy garland, therefore depriving himself from the "glory" of overcoming the obstacle. On this point, Mercey was more positive, considering the garland of excellent taste and craftsmanship.
Writing for "L'Illustration", J. Dubochet took issue with the very nature of the centauress, finding it even less to his liking than male centaurs, due to the hybrid (and therefore in his opinion necessarily disjointed aesthetically) nature of such a creature. He remarked: "No matter how pretty a centauress may be, she will be loved just as much as Louis XIII loved his mistresses, only right down to the belt.