The Mad Maiden at The Middelheim Museum, Antwerp

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Rik Wouters often featured his wife Nel as the model for many portraits and drawings. She is depicted as a housewife or a sleeping beauty, reading or ironing in his works of art. Her central place in his oeuvre is evident in the charming daily scenes he portrayed, but she was rarely shown in such carefree and dynamic fashion as in this sculpture. The immediate inspiration behind the sculpture came from Isadora Duncan's performance as an American dancer. Wouters was deeply moved by it and considered creating a sculpture of a dancing figure. It was clear who would be the model for the sculpture - Nel, his wife. In no other work did Wouters capture the directness and dynamism, along with the uncommon joy of life and ease that this piece depicts. He produced numerous casts of 'The Mad Maiden', also known as The Foolish Virgin. Throughout his brief career, Rik Wouters created a significant body of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. As Belgium's most famous Fauvist, he is recognized for using beautiful colours in his paintings, although he primarily considered himself a sculptor. One of his self-portraits shows him wearing an eye patch due to a chronic eye disease that led to his early death. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory. This project aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the world for public access at no cost. Scan The World is an open-source community effort. If you have interesting items and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can assist. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)