Nymph and Fawn
Encyclopedia
Nymph and Fawn is a public artwork by American
artist Isidore Konti
, located within the Oldfields
–Lilly House & Gardens estate on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
(IMA), which is near Indianapolis
, Indiana
. Created in 1917, the bronze sculpture is also a working fountain. It portrays a female nude pouring water from an urn while standing beside a small fawn.
sculpture group measures 56 1/4" x 24" x 20", and it is patinated a smooth dark brown. The group features a classicizing female figure (the nymph
) and a fawn (young deer, rather than the classical faun
usually paired with nymphs).
The nymph, coiffed with a vine and nude except for a thin band of cloth draped just below her hips, stands on her proper left leg and rests her folded right leg on a rock formation that reaches nearly as high as her hips. She leans far to her right, turning her torso just slightly downward. Her left arm crosses her body to stabilize and support a large urn
resting horizontally on the rock, and her right elbow rests on the urn as she lightly supports her chin with her right hand. She peers downward at a small fawn standing below her in frontal alignment with the viewer. Its head and neck crane upward toward the urn, from which a small fountain of water trickles.
The figures and rock formation are closely positioned on a small rectangular bronze base, and the sculpture itself sits on a limestone
block. It is positioned at the edge of a small pond into which the urn’s water flows.
The sculpture was surveyed in 1988 as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture inventory.
landscape design firm to visually transform the Oldfields grounds at the time. Its features and plantings were rehabilitated and restored through careful research during the 1990s.
, Austria
, in 1862. Beginning at the age of sixteen, he studied art at the Vienna Academy under Edmund von Hellmer, and later continued training at the Meisterschule under Karl Kundmann until 1886. In the early 1890's, Konti emigrated to the United States and immediately began work in Chicago
for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. From there he moved to New York
where he worked as a studio assistant for Karl Bitters and eventually opened his own studio.
By the early 1900's, Konti had established his reputation in the U.S. as an expert modeler through participation in several national expositions. His lyrical, decorative style was well-suited to architectural and sculptural commissions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist Isidore Konti
Isidore Konti
Isidore Konti was a Vienna-born sculptor. He began formal art studies at the age of 16 when he entered the Imperial Academy in Vienna where he studied under Edmund von Hellmer. In 1886 he won a scholarship that allowed him to study in Rome for two years...
, located within the Oldfields
Oldfields
Oldfields also known as Lilly House and Gardens, is a 26 acre historic estate and house museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The estate, an example of the American country house movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was...
–Lilly House & Gardens estate on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
(IMA), which is near Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. Created in 1917, the bronze sculpture is also a working fountain. It portrays a female nude pouring water from an urn while standing beside a small fawn.
Description
This cast bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
sculpture group measures 56 1/4" x 24" x 20", and it is patinated a smooth dark brown. The group features a classicizing female figure (the nymph
Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
) and a fawn (young deer, rather than the classical faun
Faun
The faun is a rustic forest god or place-spirit of Roman mythology often associated with Greek satyrs and the Greek god Pan.-Origins:...
usually paired with nymphs).
The nymph, coiffed with a vine and nude except for a thin band of cloth draped just below her hips, stands on her proper left leg and rests her folded right leg on a rock formation that reaches nearly as high as her hips. She leans far to her right, turning her torso just slightly downward. Her left arm crosses her body to stabilize and support a large urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
resting horizontally on the rock, and her right elbow rests on the urn as she lightly supports her chin with her right hand. She peers downward at a small fawn standing below her in frontal alignment with the viewer. Its head and neck crane upward toward the urn, from which a small fountain of water trickles.
The figures and rock formation are closely positioned on a small rectangular bronze base, and the sculpture itself sits on a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
block. It is positioned at the edge of a small pond into which the urn’s water flows.
Historical information
Nymph and Fawn is typical of the graceful, classical style of figuration that Isidore Konti became known for in the early 1900's. It is based upon a smaller, marble piece by the artist, and it was originally the centerpiece of a fountain.The sculpture was surveyed in 1988 as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture inventory.
Location history
The pond by which Nymph and Fawn is located is part of the original Oldfields Ravine Garden, an informal garden that was designed by Percival Gallagher in 1920. This landscaping project was part of a larger effort by the Olmsted BrothersOlmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
landscape design firm to visually transform the Oldfields grounds at the time. Its features and plantings were rehabilitated and restored through careful research during the 1990s.
Acquisition
The sculpture was acquired by the IMA as a gift by Mr. and Mrs. John J. Weldon in 1977.Artist
Isidore Konti was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in 1862. Beginning at the age of sixteen, he studied art at the Vienna Academy under Edmund von Hellmer, and later continued training at the Meisterschule under Karl Kundmann until 1886. In the early 1890's, Konti emigrated to the United States and immediately began work in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. From there he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he worked as a studio assistant for Karl Bitters and eventually opened his own studio.
By the early 1900's, Konti had established his reputation in the U.S. as an expert modeler through participation in several national expositions. His lyrical, decorative style was well-suited to architectural and sculptural commissions.