Melpomene

myminifactory

The sword, the soft shoes and the mask, which depicts the hero Heracles with the lion's skin around his head, show that it is Melpomene, the muse of tragedy. The theatricality is emphasized by the vine wreath, which refers to the god of wine and theater, Dionysus. The high raised left leg does not seem to have any influence on the rest of the body at all, the right leg stands completely frontally and is covered by the suit, which falls like flutes on a column. The motif is quite flat and two-dimensional, and it is also considered that the motif originated in painting and relief art. Figures with raised legs are known from the 4th century BC. for example, in Lysippos (see Sandalbinderen IN 1566). However, our figure is very strict, linear and motionless, and the standing motif does not seem motivated in the action. The back is only shown schematically. Four copies of the statue are known, but several of the head.