Staande vrouwenfiguur c. 1828 - 1905

This roughly hewn, 24cm high terracotta, ‘Standing Female Figure’ was sculpted by the Belgian artist, Eugène Lacomblé sometime in the 19th Century. Its classicising style recalls the statues of antiquity, and invites us to reflect on the values of that culture and how it continues to shape ours through the institutions of art. The open gesture of the right hand implies presentation. Is she offering something? Or is she petitioning the viewer? What does it mean for the female form to be represented in this way? To address these questions, it is imperative to go beyond the object and consider the social and cultural conditions in which it was made and received, using historical resources such as letters, diaries, and newspapers. Only then can we understand the politics of imagery and the public role of art.