Classical · Sculptures

Centauress and Faun

Augustin Courtet Lyon

Centauress and Faun is a bronze sculpture by Intro, cast by the Parisian founder Quesnel in 1850 from a model created in 1849. It is located in front of the main entrance of Parc de la Tête d'or in Lyon, France. The sculpture is named, signed, and dated on its base.

The work is shown in the round, meaning it is intended to be viewed from all sides. It depicts a centauress at the center of the group: she has the upper body of a young woman and the body of a horse from the neck down. An ivy garland marks the transition between human and animal forms. The centauress is rearing, with only her back-left hoof on the ground, and carries a long drape over her right arm. She also holds a wine cup and supports the head of a faun. The faun is shown as a young man whose naked body lies across the horse's back. Bacchic elements, including grapes, cups, and a small leopard, are part of the composition. The sculpture was exhibited twice at the Paris Salon, first as a plaster model and later as bronze, and it received critical attention for its technical execution as well as for the controversial inversion of a familiar centaur-and-nymph motif.

Map showing the location of Centauress and Faun in Lyon
Location of Centauress and Faun in Lyon

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Design, Exhibition, and Reception

Centauress and Faun was created by Intro as a bronze sculpture model in 1849, and it was cast in bronze by the Parisian founder Quesnel in 1850. The work is located in front of the main entrance of Parc de la Tete d'or in Lyon, France. It depicts a female centaur carrying a male faun on her back, and includes bacchic elements such as grapes, cups, and a small leopard. The sculpture is named, signed, and dated on its base.

Intro exhibited the work twice at the Paris Salon, first as a plaster model and then as a bronze. After these exhibitions, art critics discussed it in various periodicals. The sculpture received praise for its technical execution, while its subject was also considered controversial because it inverted the familiar motif of a male centaur carrying away a nymph.

Form and Composition

Centauresse et Faune is a bronze sculpture, high and wide without its stone pedestal. It is made in the round, or en ronde-bosse, meaning it is intended to be seen from all sides without loss of perspective. The composition is centered on a centauress, whose upper body from head to waist is that of a young woman, while from the neck downward it takes the form of a horse. An ivy garland marks the transition between the human and equine bodies. The centauress is shown rearing, with only her back-left hoof touching the ground. She carries a long drape in her right arm, the fabric falling on both flanks, and holds a wine cup in her left hand.

Composition and Iconography

The composition reverses a familiar mythological theme by presenting a centauress instead of the more usual male centaur. Rather than the traditional image of a male centaur carrying away a nymph, this work shows a centauress carrying away a faun who appears eager to follow of his own will. The faun is depicted as a young man, and his naked body is thrown back across the horse's back. His right leg is folded over the croup while the other hangs down, and he leans on the horse's loins with his left hand. His right arm is thrown around the centauress's neck in an embrace. The centauress supports the head of the faun with her other hand.

The scene is crowded with objects associated with bacchic symbolism, including grapes and cups placed below and around the centauress. A young leopard also appears, frightened by the rearing movement, and is shown spilling an amphora full of wine by jumping on it. These details give the work a strongly symbolic character while reinforcing the dynamic movement of the central figures.

Early Salon History of the Sculpture

Centauresse et Faune was created early in the career of the artist, who was born in Lyon in 1821 and graduated from the Lyon fine arts school. The work first appeared at the 1847 Paris Salon, and the artist received a second class medal of sculpture at the 1848 Paris Salon. In 1849, the sculpture was made as a full plaster model and exhibited at the 1849 Paris Salon. The French state then ordered a bronze version from the model in 1850 for 10000 F. The bronze was cast by the Parisian founder Quesnel, whose name is inscribed on the base of the statue: Quesnel. Fondeur. Paris. The bronze sculpture was inaugurated at the 1852 Paris Salon.

Relocation and Placement in Lyon

Centauresse et Faune is a bronze sculpture that was listed as belonging to the French interior ministry. It was donated to the city of Lyon in 1852 and originally installed in a prominent location in the inner courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. In April 1952, the sculpture was returned to the state and then moved to Parc de la Tete d'or. There, it replaced a faun-themed sculpture by Joseph Bernard, which entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. Centauresse et Faune now stands in front of the south-west main entrance of the park. The sculpture was restored shortly before 2012.

Critical Reception of the Sculpture

Centauresse et Faune was exhibited at the Salon in 1849 and again in 1852, giving several art critics the opportunity to review the group. Most critics responded with surprise or puzzlement at the subject of the work. F. Mercey, writing in La Revue des deux Mondes, questioned why Courtet described the group as a Bacchanalia and suggested that the grapes, vines, and cups may have been added to soften the outrageous character of the scene. In Mercey's view, the true center of the sculpture was its strongly erotic quality, and he argued that the two figures appeared to be under a different kind of intoxication than alcohol. He supported this reading by referring to the energy and nature of the centauress.

At the same time, critics generally appreciated the overall composition and the placement of the faun. The addition of the young leopard was also seen as an effective way to fill the empty space at the bottom of the group. One critic described the general movement of the sculpture as lively and graceful, while another thought the movement that brings the faun into the centauress's embrace looked forced.

Critical Reception of the Centauress

Critical reaction to the centauress in Centauresse et Faune centered on its anatomy and the handling of the transition between the human and equine parts of the body. F. Mercey praised the quality of the extremities and considered the garland of ivy to be of excellent taste and craftsmanship. At the same time, he noted that the visible thinning of part of the horse body weakened the proportions and reduced elegance. Another critic judged that the lack of harmony between the torso and the rest of the body was so serious that the bronze deserved another model.

Adolphe Breulier, writing in Revue Archeologique, observed that classical artists regarded the execution of such creatures as extremely difficult. He identified the transition between the human torso and the lower equestrian neck as the most delicate part to carry out. In his view, Courtet partly avoided this difficulty by surrounding the area with an ivy garland, though Breulier also argued that this device deprived the artist of the credit for overcoming the obstacle directly.

J. Dubochet, in L'Illustration, objected more broadly to the very nature of the centauress. He argued that male centaurs were already aesthetically disjointed, and that placing a woman's torso on a horse's body was even more jarring than combining a horse with the body of a heavily muscular man. He concluded that, however pretty a centauress might be, she would hardly be loved.