Genius of the Dance
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
21 11/16 x 9 1/2 in. (55.1 x 24.1 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Bronze
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1970
Accession Number
1970.171
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's *Genius of the Dance (1864) is a spirited bronze sculpture that captures the exuberant joy of movement. Standing just over 21 inches tall this lively figure depicts a youthful genius—likely a child embodying artistic inspiration—twirling in mid-dance while clutching a tambourine. Carpeaux, a leading French sculptor of the Second Empire era (1852–1870), drew from his classical training at the École des Beaux-Arts and the vibrant Rococo revival, infusing the work with dynamic energy and playful realism. Created during a period of cultural splendor under Napoleon III, wh...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux · 1827–1875
Carpeaux's exuberant work was a decisive break from Neoclassical art. He won the Prix de Rome in 1854 and received many portrait bust commissions from the court. His most famous sculpture group is 'La Danse' (1869) made for the Paris Opéra. So bold is its message of bacchanalian revelry that it was vandalized in protest. French artist.