Niobe's Daughter Niobid

myminifactory

According to the Greek myth, Niobe - a woman from Thebes whose father was Tantalus and husband Amphion, the king - had fourteen children: seven girls and seven boys. Her pride in her own offspring led her to mock goddess Latona, who had only two children, Apollo and Artemis. To punish Niobe's arrogance, Latona sent her sons, armed with bows and arrows, to kill Niobe's children. Artemis targeted the females, while Apollo aimed at the males. Some versions of the myth say they killed all fourteen children, but others claim that one child and a young girl managed to escape. Roman poet Ovid wrote that Niobe was turned into a marble block by her terror, and her tears gave life to a source on Sipylus mountain in Lydia. The educational purpose of this myth - warning against the dangers of pride - has made it a popular subject for artistic and literary works. The Uffizi Gallery houses a group of twelve ancient sculptures, Roman copies from an original Greek work whose date and location are unknown. These sculptures give their name to the famous Niobe's Room on the second floor of the gallery. Found in Rome near Porta San Giovanni in 1583, these sculptures were purchased immediately by Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici, who would later become the Grand Duke of Tuscany for his Roman villa. Around 1770, the sculptures were brought to Florence. In 1780, during the peak of Neoclassicism - a time of artistic renewal in Florence - architect Gaspare Maria Paoletti set up the room where they are still displayed today. The twelve statues depict characters fleeing or being shot dead in dramatic and theatrical poses. The focal point of the group is Niobe, who tries to shield her youngest daughter while directing a terrified and pleading gaze towards the sky.