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Artwork Page for Thetis Running

Details / Information for Thetis Running

Thetis Running

c. 1527

workshop of Severo da Ravenna

(Italian, c.1496-c.1543)
Italy, Ravenna, 16th century
bronze
Overall: 18.2 cm (7 3/16 in.)
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1963.92
Location: 117A Italian Renaissance
Public Domain
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Description

The complex, corkscrew-like twist of the figure’s body around a central axis indicates that this work was meant to be seen and admired in the round. Producing a sculpture of a body in motion posed a challenge for Renaissance artists, and complex compositions like this were often adapted from prints and paintings. The pose of this bronze statuette may have been inspired by a print representing the Greek sea goddess Thetis. Thetis was courted by the gods Zeus (Jupiter) and Poseidon (Neptune), but was eventually married to the mortal Peleus; the Greek hero Achilles was their son. In the print, Thetis pours water from a jug held at her hip and her upraised foot rests on a large shell, both referencing her role as sea goddess. The statuette’s lack of identifying attributes encourages the viewer to focus instead on the figure’s graceful spiraling form, and the sculptor’s skill in creating a convincing sense of movement.
Bronze statue of a nude woman, facing us, with one foot on her pedestal and the other bent behind her in mid-run. Her upper body twists to her right, with her left arm swinging across her chest and to the right and her hair to the left. Flowy lines in the hair give the impression of swinging curls.

Thetis Running

c. 1527

Severo da Ravenna

(Italian, c.1496-c.1543)
Italy, Ravenna, 16th century

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