Artwork Page for Fata Morgana

Details / Information for Fata Morgana

Fata Morgana

c. 1572
sculptor

Giambologna

(Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)
Culture
Italy
Medium
Marble
Measurements
Overall: 99 x 68 cm (39 x 26 3/4 in.)
Weight: 475 lbs
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2025.18
Public Domain
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Location
117B Italian Renaissance
Print
?

Did You Know?

The sculpture originally appeared to emerge mysteriously from a cave within a constructed grotto.

Description

Commissioned by prominent banker Bernardo Vecchietti, whose surname means “old,” Fata Morgana took the name both of the nearby spring that fed the fountain she surmounted, and the legendary fairy who restored King Arthur’s youth. The Fata Morgana is one of only around a dozen sculptures in marble by Giambologna. The artist’s favorite subject was the female nude because of its capacity to showcase his extraordinary ability to model softness in hard stone and to convey dynamic movement. Her twisting pose invites the viewer to appreciate the Fata Morgana from every angle.
A marble sculpture depicts a woman from the waist up, her head turned and looking down toward our right. Her right hand rests against her chest while her left presses into a textured, unfinished base. She wears an elaborate headpiece of braids and tight curls topped with a leaf wreath and a small wing. Carved armbands circle her upper arms. Smooth, polished skin contrasts with the deeply carved hair and rough stone base.

Fata Morgana

c. 1572

Giambologna

(Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)
Italy

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