The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Boy and Panther Cub

1915
sculptor

Malvina Hoffman

(American, 1887–1966)
America
bronze
Overall: 171.5 cm (67 1/2 in.)
Bequest of John L. Severance 1942.797
Location: WT West Terrace

Did You Know?

The faun's pose derives from classical ballet.

Description

American artist Malvina Hoffman created this garden sculpture featuring a faun holding a small panther cub with his left arm while dangling a bunch of grapes over its open mouth. This particular bronze cast was commissioned by prominent Cleveland industrialist John L. Severance and was given to the museum after his death.
  • John L. Severance, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • 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. #48, p. 48, repr.
    Ausherman, Maria, Masters of Shape: The Lives and Art of American Women Sculptors. (Novato, CA: Goff Books, 2022). Mentioned and reproduced p. 126.
    Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942. Mentioned: p. 32, cat. no. 30 archive.org
    Conner, Janis C. Conner Rosenkranz LLC: 19th & 20th Century American Sculpture. New York, NY: Conner Rosenkranz LLC, 2013. Mentioned: p. 41
    Czajkowski, Alexandra. “Exploring the Fine Arts Garden.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 61, no. 3 (Summer 2021): 38-39. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 39.
  • The American Way in Sculpture 1890-1930. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 12-October 19, 1986).
    Exhibition of the John L. Severance Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 12, 1942-March 14, 1943).
  • {{cite web|title=Boy and Panther Cub|url=false|author=Malvina Hoffman|year=1915|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.797