Bust of a Woman c. 18th century

This terracotta bust captures an unknown woman, likely from the 18th century. The rose adorning her hair is more than mere decoration; it’s a charged symbol. From antiquity, the rose has been associated with Venus, the goddess of love, and signifies beauty, passion, and sometimes, secrecy. Consider Botticelli's “Birth of Venus,” where roses fall around the goddess, embodying divine love. Yet, in later vanitas paintings, roses, quickly wilted, served as a memento mori, emblems of fleeting beauty and the transience of life. Here, the rose’s meaning is ambiguous, oscillating between an emblem of beauty and a subtle reminder of mortality, inviting us to reflect on the ephemeral nature of human existence. Like the human psyche, this image merges past and present, resonating with us on a subconscious level. It’s a flower that carries centuries of cultural memory within its delicate petals.