Ariadne on a Panther

Jean-Baptiste Clésinger

Cleveland Museum of Art

The sculpture depicts a woman reclining on top of a panther. The woman is positioned on her side, with her upper body propped up on her right elbow and her left arm bent at the elbow. Her right leg is bent at the knee, and her left leg is extended. She has curly hair and appears to be wearing a cloth wrapped around her waist. The panther is facing to the left, with its mouth slightly open and its head turned in the same direction as the woman. Its body is rendered in detail, with visible muscles and a long tail that curves around to the right. The panther's front right leg is extended forward, while its back right leg is extended backward. The sculpture is made of dark brown metal, possibly bronze, and features a rectangular base with the artist's name engraved on the front. The background of the image is a gradient that transitions from black at the top to gray at the bottom.