Lucretia 19th century

Giacomo Ginotti’s white marble Lucretia presents the idealised figure of a woman at a moment of absolute trauma, poised to take her own life. Her plight is a tragic story that has been reprised over centuries in art, music, literature and opera.

According to Roman legend Lucretia, the wife of a nobleman, was raped by Sextus Tarquinius, son of the Roman king. She demanded an oath of vengeance from her father and husband against the perpetrator’s royal family. Traumatised, she then escaped the memory of her experience through suicide.

Ginotti dramatically captures that fateful moment. Lucretia’s rape was a catalyst in turning public sentiment against the king, leading to the establishment of the Roman Republic. Today, we may look at this story as a terrible and prophetic case of sexual violence; yet, throughout art history, the figure of Lucretia was employed by artists to explore the nude female form and allegorise womanly virtue.