Allegorical figure 1672 - 1675

Curator: Standing before us, we have "Allegorical Figure," a marble relief sculpture created between 1672 and 1675 by François Girardon. Editor: Oh, wow, it's incredibly serene, almost ghostly, in its pale beauty. There's a sadness radiating from her eyes—well, the hint of them beneath that drapery, anyway. Curator: Indeed. This figure, carved in exquisite detail, sits draped in classical robes, holding what appears to be a scepter topped with some kind of floral crown. It's Baroque, yet with very clear classical roots. Editor: Right. Look at the folds in the fabric. You know, thinking about it materially, marble is so associated with wealth and permanence, the carving, the intense labour that has to go into taking something like that from a block of stone... Curator: Exactly, and Girardon was celebrated for his technical virtuosity, especially his ability to render soft textures in hard stone. What intrigues me most is the implied narrative. Why the blindfold? What does her specific combination of attributes tell us? Is this Justice? Prudence perhaps? Editor: Or even, dare I say, blind faith? I am seeing how the drape acts both as adornment and constraint. This work almost seems to embody contradiction, between revelation and concealment, restraint and the classical, fluid lines, and, of course, what about the politics inherent in using this most luxurious of stones. Who was this for, and what were they trying to say? Curator: Good questions! The sculpture resides within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but like many artworks of this era, it was initially created for a more private setting, probably a wealthy patron's residence, and originally, as decorative art, designed to instill virtues, power and grandeur for generations. Editor: Marble reliefs have such a unique presence. In many ways, they speak of immortality in material terms but remind me to always probe at its historic labour! Curator: Precisely. I feel moved each time I contemplate how objects—or art—serve as historical vessels, echoing, even through whispers, long lost thoughts and sentiments from centuries ago.