The Festival of Pales

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Gallery 367, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

The Festival of Pales

c. 1783

Jean Guillaume Moitte (French, 1746–1810)

Pales was the ancient Roman goddess of flocks and shepherds. Moitte created this festival scene as a preparatory study for his large-scale relief that adorns the entrance of the Hôtel de Salm, Paris (now the Palace of the Legion of Honor). The terracotta displays the sculptor’s very lively touch as a modeler of clay, and was exhibited at the Salon of 1783 among his first submissions to the French Royal Academy.

Gallery 367, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Object Details

Title:

The Festival of Pales

Date:

c. 1783

Artist:

Jean Guillaume Moitte (French, 1746–1810)

Medium:

Terracotta

Dimensions:

9 3/16 x 46 3/16 x 1 1/4 inches (23.3 x 117.3 x 3.2 cm)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by Orville H. Bullitt, 1929

Accession Number:

1929-117-1

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

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Gallery 367, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

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