The Return of Cunissa 1807

Curator: Here we have "The Return of Cunissa" by John Flaxman. Flaxman, who lived from 1755 to 1826, was a British sculptor and designer in the Neoclassical style. This delicate image is part of the Tate Collections. Editor: It feels like a dream, doesn't it? All those ethereal figures, almost floating. There's a real sense of lightness, of transcendence. Curator: Indeed. Flaxman's work often draws on classical literature and mythology. In this scene, we see Cunissa returning, perhaps to a higher plane of existence, as inspired by Dante's "Paradiso". The inscription suggests she is turning away from the viewer towards a celestial destination. Editor: And the way he uses line is just beautiful – so simple, yet so expressive. It’s like he's capturing the very essence of these figures. It almost feels too pure, too perfect. Curator: Perhaps that's reflective of the Neoclassical pursuit of idealised forms, a response against what was considered the excesses of the Baroque and Rococo periods. Flaxman was certainly interested in moral subjects. Editor: I love the contrast between the grounded figures of Dante and Beatrice and the weightless forms rising above. It's as if the earthly and the divine are coexisting, just barely separated. It's beautiful. Curator: I'm struck by how Flaxman uses the absence of color to invite the viewer to fill in the emotional and spiritual landscape. Editor: This piece invites us to reflect on our own journeys, both earthly and spiritual.