Young Faun with Heron

Frederick William MacMonnies American
 Cast by E. Gruet French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 766

MacMonnies produced a large bronze "Young Faun with Heron" for Naumkeag, a house in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, designed by Stanford White for Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph H. Choate. The ancient pagan motif of a child wrestling with a bird is recapitulated in this dynamic reduction. The taunting faun, identified as such only by its wreath of leaves, firmly grasps the heron’s neck and restrains one of its legs. The bird protests by clenching its talons and opening its beak, perhaps to emit a cry. Its richly textured feathers contrast with the faun’s lithe form and supple flesh.

Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American

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Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American
Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American
Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American
Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American
Young Faun with Heron, Frederick William MacMonnies (American, New York 1863–1937 New York), Bronze, American

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