Pasiphaë Adorning the Bull with Flowers

César-Isidore-Henry Cros

1891–1907 · Pâte-de-verre · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This fragment shows Pasiphaë adorning the horns of a bull with a garland of flowers, which is a story from Greek mythology. Cros’s subject matter, his use of the palest possible tones and the softness of the modeling designed to give an indefinite impression, are in accord with the Symbolist trends of the years 1880–90. Pâte-de-verre was a material made from variously colored powdered glass placed in a clay mold and then fired in a kiln. Cros developed the technique in 1893.

Artist

César-Isidore-Henry Cros

Date

1891–1907

Medium

Pâte-de-verre

Culture

French, Paris or Sèvres

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1924