Bakkantinde. Gående, halvt draperet med en kat ved sin side 1837

H.W. Bissen created this terracotta sculpture, Bakkantinde. Gående, halvt draperet med en kat ved sin side, sometime between 1798 and 1868, a period marked by significant shifts in artistic and social values. Bissen, working within the Neoclassical tradition, here engages with themes of ecstasy and liberation through the figure of a Bacchante, a female follower of Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry. She is caught mid-stride, half-draped and holding a thyrsus above her head. The inclusion of the cat adds a layer of domesticity, contrasting with the wild abandon typically associated with Bacchantes. It offers a softer narrative, perhaps inviting viewers to consider the complexities of female identity and the negotiation between societal expectations and personal desires. By grounding the mythological in the everyday, Bissen touches upon deeper questions about the containment and expression of female desire. The Bacchante invites us to reflect on the historical constraints placed on women’s bodies and spirits and how these limitations have shaped both personal and collective identities.