La Sirenetta

myminifactory

A mythical creature emerges from the depths of the ocean with the upper torso of a female human and the tail of a fish. These aquatic beings appear in the folklore of numerous cultures worldwide, spanning the Near East, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The earliest recorded tales of mermaids originated in Assyria around 1000 BC. The goddess Atargatis, mother of the legendary queen Semiramis, fell deeply in love with a mortal and tragically caused his death through her own carelessness. Overwhelmed by shame, she leapt into a lake and transformed into a fish, yet the waters could not conceal her divine beauty. Consequently, she took on the form of a mermaid - human above the waist, fish below. In representations of Atargatis, the earliest depictions showed her as a fish with a human head and arm, similar to the Babylonian god Ea. This sculpture may evoke the moment when a woman plunges into water, conveying a sense of freedom and liberation, yet also underscoring a sense of despair as the body surrenders itself to the void. The full figure of the woman in this piece is characteristic of Matteo Lo Greco's work.