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Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (American, 1830-1908)
Puck, modeled c. 1855-56
Marble, 30-7/8 x 15-1/2 x 19-3/4 inches
Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum Purchase

Independent and strong-willed, Harriet Hosmer defied Victorian expectations for women--marriage and motherhood--and by 1860 had become one of
America's finest sculptors. In Rome from 1852, she stood at the forefront of a famous group of expatriate American women sculptors whom writer Henry
James famously described as the "white, marmorean flock."

Created by Hosmer during a period of dire financial crisis, Puck was designed for its marketability as a parlour sculpture. Her plan paid off handsomely: more than thirty replicas of the popular sculpture were sold at $1,000 apiece. The work is a prime
example of the "conceit," or "fancy piece." Unlike idealized sculptures, which were meant to instruct
and ennoble the viewer, conceits were playfully imaginative works designed solely to amuse and delight.

The character of Puck appears in English folklore and in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer's Night's Dream, in which he utters the memorable line,
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" The mischievous offspring of a young girl and a "hee-fairie," Puck used his special powers to reward the good and play pranks on the wicked. Holding a beetle in one hand and a chameleon in the other, Hosmer's bat-winged forest
elf sits atop a massive toadstool, the tiny devil's horns peeking from beneath his hair making it clear he is up to no good.

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