In her pose, she rather confidently 'shows a leg'; resting her right arm on her thigh, with her right leg stepped up onto a support of what might be small rocks.
I
was surprised, as you rarely see the legs on modest Graeco-Roman
sculptures of women - unless it is of Diana, goddess of the hunt (who
needed a short skirt in order to run), or, erm, nudes.
In the catalogue, she is named as Melpomene, the muse of Tragedy, though traditionally it would be her left leg raised. The object she holds is the Mask of Tragedy.
But nowhere can I find the significance of the raised leg. I wonder what its import is?
Well, a raised leg in statuary is an long-established sign of command. Doesn't seem terribly à propos in this case, though.
ReplyDeleteRobin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Tragedy 'commands' your attention, I suppose...!
DeleteThanks for the heads-up; I'll look into that