Figure 73: Head of Niobe 1854 - 1856

Here we see a photograph by Guillaume Duchenne, "Head of Niobe." The image depicts a plaster cast of Niobe, a figure from Greek mythology known for her excessive pride and subsequent sorrow. Note the head’s tilted angle, eyes closed; a symbol of profound grief. This pose, of a face marked by sorrow, echoes across centuries, resurfacing in countless depictions of mourning, from ancient sculptures to Renaissance paintings. Consider, for example, the motif of the "Mater Dolorosa," the sorrowful mother. The roots of this archetypal image are anchored in antiquity. It connects deeply with our collective memory, tapping into primal emotions associated with loss and lamentation. This image of sorrow speaks to us on a visceral level, engaging our subconscious through a shared cultural vocabulary of suffering. The tragic figure of Niobe, immortalized in plaster, becomes a timeless emblem of human anguish, a sentiment that refuses to be confined by the bounds of time or medium.