Bacchante - Mary Cassatt
Archival giclée
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Description
An early portrait by Mary Cassatt, depicting a young woman as a bacchante with a tambourine, painted during her formative years in Europe.
Painted during her early years in Europe, this work captures a young woman adorned with a vine wreath, holding a tambourine. The subject evokes the classical figure of a bacchante, a follower of the god Bacchus. Mary Cassatt produced this piece while she travelled through Italy, Spain, and France, absorbing the techniques of the Old Masters. Her approach here differs from the domestic scenes of mothers and children that defined her later career. Instead, the painting demonstrates a focus on character study and the dramatic use of light and shadow, often referred to as chiaroscuro.
The figure is positioned against a dark, indistinct background, which directs the viewer's attention to her expressive face and the textures of her costume. The brushwork is confident, showing the influence of academic training before her full transition into the Impressionist circle in Paris. The palette consists of warm ochres, deep browns, and touches of blue, creating a sense of physical presence. The subject's gaze is directed away from the viewer, suggesting a moment of performance or contemplation. This painting provides a glimpse into the formative period of an artist who would eventually become a central figure in the American expatriate art scene. It reflects the broader interest in historical and mythological themes that occupied many artists working in Europe during the late nineteenth century. The composition is balanced, with the circular shape of the tambourine echoing the curve of the subject's arms, creating a cohesive visual unit. This work remains a clear example of the technical proficiency Cassatt developed through her rigorous study of European painting traditions.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Bacchante - Mary Cassatt
Artist Biography
Mary Cassatt
She grew up in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), in a prosperous family. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she found the instruction restrictive and the male students hostile. She moved to Paris in 1866, copied old masters in the Louvre, and studied privately with several painters before finding her direction with the Impressionists.
Her subject was women and children in domestic settings: mothers bathing infants, women reading, girls at the opera, women having tea. The subject matter sounds conventional. The treatment is not. She observed her subjects with the same unsentimental attention Degas brought to dancers. The compositions are cropped and angled, influenced by Japanese prints and by Degas's habit of painting people from unexpected viewpoints. Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878) shows a child sprawled across a chair with the boredom and physical abandon that adults rarely notice and painters rarely record.
She never married. She was wealthy enough not to need to sell her work. She used her position and her connections to persuade American collectors, particularly the Havemeyers, to buy Impressionist paintings. The Havemeyer collection, much of it acquired on Cassatt's advice, was donated to the Metropolitan Museum. She shaped the taste of American collectors more than any other single individual.
She developed cataracts and was nearly blind by 1914. She stopped painting. She died in 1926, at eighty-two.
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