Pandora at The Palace of Versailles, France

myminifactory

This stunning marble sculpture of Pandora was crafted by Pierre Legros between 1685 and 1686. The French artist was born in 1629 and passed away in 1714. According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus gave her a box with strict instructions not to open it. However, she disobeyed and released all the evils and miseries contained within upon humanity. John Gibson carved this marble sculpture, spending most of his working life in Rome and admiring Canova's work. The Pandora myth is first mentioned in lines 560-612 of Hesiod's epic poem, Theogony, which dates back to the 8th or 7th century BC. In this poem, humans receive fire from Prometheus, causing Zeus to create a punishing gift for humanity. He commands Hephaestus to shape earth into the first woman, a beautiful evil whose descendants would torment human beings. After Hephaestus creates her, Athena dresses Pandora in a silvery gown and an embroidered veil. When she appears before gods and mortals, wonder seizes them as they gaze upon her beauty. However, she is revealed to be sheer guile, impossible for men to withstand. This sculpture is part of the Scan The World initiative, a non-profit project by MyMiniFactory that creates a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe. Anyone can contribute to this open-source effort by emailing stw@myminifactory.com to find out how they can help.