Thetis Running

About this artwork

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 ...