Small Phryne with Drapery

myminifactory

Maillol, initially trained as a painter, transitioned to sculpture in his early forties and quickly became renowned for his elegant female nudes. Small Phryne with Drapery revisits a classic Greek subject popularized by Jean-Léon Gérôme, one of Maillol's teachers, during the 19th century. When Phryne, a courtesan celebrated for her stunning beauty, was brought to court on charges of impiety, her lawyer exposed her naked body in a last-ditch effort. Captivated by her divine beauty, the jurors acquitted her. Gérôme's painting captures the various reactions of the judges as they witness Phryne's disrobing, ranging from shock to lust at that instant. In contrast, Maillol's sculpture dramatically places us, the viewers, in the position of witnesses to the courtesan's beauty, prompting our imagination to participate in her judgment. Edition 2/4 Gülru Çakmak, Assistant Professor of Nineteenth-Century European Art at the University of Massachusetts AmherstA Very Long Engagement: Nineteenth-Century Sculpture and Its Afterlives (July 29, 2017 - May 27, 2018) Gift of Jeffrey H. Loria in honor of Julie A. Lavin (Class of 1986)Digitized by Laura Weston, 2019 - lmweston@mtholyoke.edu