Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii / Randolph Rogers

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1862.1
Title
Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
1825-1892
Medium and Support
Carrara marble
Object Creation Date
1861
Object Creation Place
Europe (continent)
Italy (nation)
Lazio (region)
Roma (province)
Creation Place 1
Europe (continent)
Creation Place 2
Italy (nation)
Creation Place 3
Lazio (region)
Creation Place 4
Roma (province)
Style/Group/Movement
Neoclassical
Inscription
Inscribed left face of base: Randolph Rogers, Rome 1861.
Dimensions
143.51 cm x 71.12 cm x 95.25 cm (56 1/2 in. x 28 in. x 37 1/2 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Sculpture
Primary Object Type
statue
Secondary Object Classification
Sculpture
Secondary Object Type
figure
Physical Description
A white marble statue of a young female figure, leaning forward holding a staff with eyes closed, her left hand held up to her right ear. A flowing, wind-swept garment drapes the figure. On the base to the left of the figure is a broken capital of a Corinthian column lying on its side.
Subject Matter
Based on a character from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's popular 1834 novel, “The Last Days of Pompeii,” Nydia is a blind girl, who had been stolen and sold into slavery, and was bought by Glaucus, a Greek-born young man, to work in his garden in order to save her from the cruelty of her owner. Nydia mistook his act of kindness for fondness and fell passionately and uselessly in love with him, as he was in love with another woman. During the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Nydia saves Glaucus and his lover and guides them toward the sea where they find safety aboard a ship. The next morning Nydia throws herself into the sea, as she realizes there is no hope for a future with Glaucus, and becomes a symbol of feminine sacrifice and fidelity.
Secondary Keywords
aegean
aegean architecture styles
aegean styles
allegory and literature
architectural elements
artistic concepts
artistic devices
associated concepts
campania (region)
capitals and capital components
card, table and board game elements
child
column components
columns and column components
components
components and systems
components by specific context
concepts in the arts
descriptors
early western world
equipment
equipment by context
equipment for personal use
europe
europe (continent)
european
european styles and periods
exceptional people
figures
game pieces
genres in the arts
geographic and political locations
handicapped
iconography
inorganic material
italy
italy (nation)
literary, oral and motion picture genres
locality
materials
materials by composition
mediterranean
modern european styles and movements
napoli (province)
objects
objects we use
people
people (agents)
people and culture
people and occupations
people by gender
people by state or condition
physically handicapped
recreational artifacts
recreational artifacts for competitive activities
rock
rock by form
sculpture by subject type
structural elements
structural elements and structural element components
styles and periods
styles and periods by region
supporting and resisting elements
symbolism
tools and equipment
visual works
visual works by medium or technique
visual works by subject type
walking sticks
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
729 x 1463
File Size
44 KB
Record
1862.1
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1862.1/1862.1.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1862.1:1862.1.JPG

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Full citation
"Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii; Randolph Rogers." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1862.1/1862.1.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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