The suicide of Dido, Queen of Carthage

A dark bronze statuette shows a nude woman twisting on one foot, arms flung wide, head thrown back, a drape swirling behind her. She stands on a black base inlaid with silvery scrollwork against a plain grey ground.

Look closer: The base panels carry inlaid silver and brass scrollwork that a quick glance misses.

Artist

Ferdinando Tacca

Date

late 17th century

Medium

Bronze, on later wood base

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2988 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964