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Melancholy nude women

Harry Bates
(1850 - 1899)
Pandora
Marble, ivory and bronze, 1891; Tate Britain Gallery, London

Artist Biography courtesy of the Victorian Web
Pandora in Bulfinch’s Mythology

It seems that in the original story the container of the world’s troubles which Pandora is tempted to open was described as a jar or bottle, and only became the familiar box through a mistranslation.

After lots of diligent research and a couple of accidental discoveries, I’ve managed to find a selection of pictures showing the statue from a variety of angles.

Note: the figure of Pandora herself is marble, but the box is a combination of ivory and bronze. Nowadays the use of ivory would be unthinkable, but at the time the statue was made elephants were considered an inexhaustible natural resource.

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