Nymph with a Scorpion
Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850) · c. 1835-1845
A young nymph lies on the ground, her body twisted as she pulls up one foot to look at it. A scorpion has just stung her, and Bartolini catches the instant between surprise and pain: the mouth begins to open, the brow tightens, the free hand presses the earth to push herself up. The nude is rendered with the smooth, almost breathing surface that made the Florentine sculptor famous, and the rough base with the small creature on it gives the polished body something to rest against. On the edge of that base you can read the signature, Bartolini faceva, Bartolini made this.
The plaster model was created around 1835 and stayed in the artist's studio, and this marble was probably commissioned from it. Prince Charles de Beauvau bought it around 1843 for his château of Haroué in Lorraine, and it was shown at the Paris Salon of 1845, where Bartolini's naturalism stood out against the cooler ideal of Canova's followers. It remained with the Beauvau-Craon family until the Société des Amis du Louvre presented it to the museum in 1994.
Did You Know? Bartolini signed the base with the Italian words Bartolini faceva, an old formula meaning the work was still in progress when the artist put his name to it.
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