The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Young Faun with Heron

Young Faun with Heron

1890
(American, 1863–1937)
Overall: 68.6 cm (27 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The world’s largest heron species, the Goliath heron, can stand upwards of five feet tall.

Description

MacMonnies originally created this composition as a large garden sculpture, but later marketed small-scale versions, such as this example, to adorn interior spaces. The subject presents a boyish mythological figure mischievously grasping a bird whose ample wings curve around him. A striking visual contrast is achieved through the variegated textures of the heron’s feathers and the faun’s smooth flesh.
  • Solender, Katherine. The American Way in Sculpture, 1890-1930. Cleveland, OH: Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. cat. #8, p. 18, repr.
    LeValley, Paul. Art Follows Nature: A Worldwide History of the Nude.
    [Kissimmee, FL] : [Paul LeValley] ; 2016. Mentioned: p. 511
  • The American Way in Sculpture 1890-1930. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 12-October 19, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Young Faun with Heron|url=false|author=Frederick William MacMonnies|year=1890|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1938.290