Naiad

Antonio Canova

National Gallery of Art

Carved from white marble, a nude woman lies belly down but tipped onto one hip and propped up on her elbows in this freestanding sculpture. In this photograph, the woman’s feet are to our left and her head to our right. Her upper body is further bolstered by what appears to be an animal skin – the flaccid hide of a lion, perhaps. Her right arm, closer to us, lies along the animal’s head, and her other elbow is bent so that pointer finger touches the side of her head. She turns sharply to look back over her right shoulder. She has delicate features, and her wavy hair is pulled back and up. There are two wrinkles where her waist cinches together as she turns to look to our left. One foot is daintily crossed over the other, and she lies on a cloth. The animal skin and cloth drape over a slab-like base. The polished, chest-shaped marble plinth is parchment white with gray veining, and the sculpture is photographed against a gray background.