DETAILS
Year :conceived in 1976, first cast in 1984
Height: 51 cm
Material: bronze
Technique: lost wax process
Edition Size: 350+35 EA
Patina: brown
Maquette: original gouache, ʺLady Godiva with Butterfliesʺ, 1976
References Descharnes: Dalí: The Hard and the Soft, Sculptures & Objects. Eccart, 2004. pg. 248 ref. 640
DESCRIPTION
Lady Godiva was an English noblewoman from the eleventh century, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry on horseback, to oppose taxation laws of the time, imposed by her husband the Earl of Mercia, becoming a feminine legend. In this sublime sculpture, Dalí adds a surreal touch, adorning Lady Godiva’s body with four fluttering butterflies, symbols often used in his artwork. Symbols of the soul and of change, butterflies insinuate rebirth, infinite transformations, metamorphosis, and natural beauty. The Dalínian Lady Godiva with Butterflies does not hide beneath her abundant hair, but proudly announces her femininity. Her whole figure seems to radiate light and luminescence, the trumpet a symbol of victory pointing to the heavens and the future.
Lady Godiva was an English noblewoman from the eleventh century, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry on horseback, to oppose taxation laws of the time, imposed by her husband the Earl of Mercia, becoming a feminine legend. In this sublime sculpture, Dalí adds a surreal touch, adorning Lady Godiva’s body with four fluttering butterflies, symbols often used in his artwork. Symbols of the soul and of change, butterflies insinuate rebirth, infinite transformations, metamorphosis, and natural beauty. The Dalínian Lady Godiva with Butterflies does not hide beneath her abundant hair, but proudly announces her femininity. Her whole figure seems to radiate light and luminescence, the trumpet a symbol of victory pointing to the heavens and the future.