Eve Listening to The Voice

myminifactory

This figure depicts Eve as she listens to Adam in the Garden of Eden, a subject inspired by Book IV of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. It illustrates the lines spoken by Eve: 'As I bent down to look, just opposite/ A Shape within the watery gleam appeared,/ Bending to look on me. I started back, / It started back but/Pleased it returned as soon with answering looks/ Of sympathy and love.' The composition is related to a classical sculpture in the Louvre of a Nymph with a shell. A version of this figure entitled Eve at the fountain signed and dated 1822, is on display in the Bristol City Art Gallery. A plaster model relating to this figure is also part of the V&A's collections (inv. no. A.3-2000). In a lecture delivered at the Royal Academy of Arts, Henry Weekes commented that Baily was an earnest pupil of Flaxman, but lacked feeling and sentiment in his work. Weekes noted that while Baily gained knowledge from his mentor, he did not possess true genius. Despite this, Baily produced one of the most beautiful examples of English ideal sculpture - his Eve. This figure was also reproduced in Parian ware, a type of granular porcelain, and Baily made busts taken from this model. In 1841, he exhibited 'Eve listening to the Voice', probably the plaster model for this figure. Edward Hodges Baily was a British sculptor and designer who began his career as a modeller in wax. He spent seven years in John Flaxman's studio, where he became his most devoted pupil. Baily attended the Royal Academy Schools and went on to create many notable works, including Nelson on Nelson's Column and monuments in St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. His most famous work is Eve at the Fountain, which was first shown at the Royal Academy in 1818. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative that aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe. Scan the World is an open source community effort, and anyone with interesting items can contribute by emailing stw@myminifactory.com.