Comment on Shifting of Attributes - a Fundamental Feature in Thorvaldsen

See, e.g., Ovid’s Heroides, lit. “heroines,” in which spurned mythological women write letters of complaint to their absent men.
Hercules’ wife Deianira, for example, bemoans how she (in Ovid’s fleet-footed representation) is dying of shame and jealousy after hearing rumors of his spellbinding and enslavement at the hands of Omphale. Desperately, Deianira tries to call him back to reason, emphasizing the opposition between his glorious heroism and the shabby circumstances in which he now finds himself: “A tale of shame that contradicts your deeds.” See Ovid, op. cit., pp. 64-69.

Last updated 21.01.2015