Bacchante on a Panther

The painting Bacchante on a Panther was executed in 1855 by the celebrated French Academic artist William Adolphe Bouguereau. This oil on fabric piece, classified as a painting, exemplifies the mythological subjects popular within the highly competitive Parisian Salon system of the mid-19th century.

The canvas depicts a young, idealized female figure, a Bacchante, a follower of the Roman god Bacchus (Dionysus). She is shown seated dramatically atop a powerful panther, an animal often associated with the god of wine and frenzy. Bouguereau’s highly polished, meticulous technique—characterized by a smooth, enamel-like finish and carefully rendered anatomy—reflects the standards of classical beauty upheld by the official art institutions of France.

Created during the period of the Second French Empire, the work demonstrates Bouguereau’s mastery of the figure and his commitment to the ideals of Neoclassicism, securing his position as a dominant force in academic painting for decades. His focus on mythological narratives, rather than contemporary life, was central to the accepted tradition of the era. This significant early work by the artist is currently housed in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Due to its age and historical importance, high-quality digital prints of this masterwork are often made available through repositories dedicated to preserving public domain artworks.