In 1863 Charles Garnier, the architect of the new Paris Opera, commissioned four sculpted groups by four artists who had won the Grand Prix de Rome to decorate the facade of the building. Carpeaux was to cover the theme of Dance. Over a three-year period, he produced a variety of sketches and models before conveiving this turning farandole of women encirlcling the spirit of dance. The sculptor's main convern was to convey the feeling of movement, and this he achieved through a dual momentum of circular and vertical motion. The leaping spirit dominates the group, urging on the curcle of bacchantes, in unbalanced postures. The public was shocked by the realism of the female nudes, which they judges unseemly; indeed, a bottle of ink was thrown against the sculpture and its removal was requested. However, the war of 1870, followed by the death of Carpeaux, put an end to the controversy.

Due to its popular and characteristic style in figurative sculpture, many of the faces and subjects in this piece were separated, cast and sold separately. The bacchante on the left of the group piece, which the bottle of ink was thrown at, was turned into a bust and can be seen here on Scan the World.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)