Woman Bitten by a Snake (detail) by Auguste Jean-Baptiste Clésinger (1814-1883). Exhibited at the 1847 Salon. Marble. Courtesy Musée d'Orsay. This detail shows the roses and other flowers among which the dead woman has fallen. Is the tiny serpent arund her wrist the snake that bit her, or is it just a bracelet in the form of a snake — a not uncommon kind of jewelry? If the latter, it would make the work that much more ironic.
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References
Pingeot, Anne. The Musée d'Orsay: Sculpture. London: Scala, 1998. Pp. 45, 52.
Last modified 20 September 2008