Erotic helplessness : a study of the history of the Damsel in Distress theme in art

[ducon007]

As I wrote in a recent private similar question " absolutely sorry, there are years and years I collect pics, most of the time here and there one by one.
Totally unable to remember where I found ALL of them -
Should I continue to disappoint you, but leave you to do your own research? Or should I stop?

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"Should I stay or sould I go ?", as the Clash used to sing!
In my opinion, your posts are very interesting and little known, but have little to do with the very subject of the thread, which has to deal with art. That's what I'm trying to do on my side.
I hope you'll continue to post, but I think you could do so in other, more appropriate threads.
Just my opinion...

 

[ducon007]

These are fine and fascinating collections, but would be even better if you could give a little information about the images - artists? sources? historical contexts? etc.

I agree!

 

[ducon007]

As I wrote in a recent private similar question " absolutely sorry, there are years and years I collect pics, most of the time here and there one by one.
Totally unable to remember where I found ALL of them -
Should I continue to disappoint you, but leave you to do your own research? Or should I stop?

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My reply post disappeared in the up-grade. So I'm making this friendly proposal again:
why don't you create your thread with your own archives? Like phlebas did, for example:

From My Archive 1999 To ?

Ok, I've talked about this for a while, I did a similar thing on the Foundation about 7 or 8 years ago, a thread of selections from my archive. Emily's thread of favourites has inspired me to finally bite the bullet, and I didn't want to fill her thread up with my selections. I'll try to post...

www.cruxforums.com

 

[Jollyrei]

My reply post disappeared in the up-grade. So I'm making this friendly proposal again:
why don't you create your thread with your own archives? Like phlebas did, for example:

From My Archive 1999 To ?

Ok, I've talked about this for a while, I did a similar thing on the Foundation about 7 or 8 years ago, a thread of selections from my archive. Emily's thread of favourites has inspired me to finally bite the bullet, and I didn't want to fill her thread up with my selections. I'll try to post...

www.cruxforums.com

The Gerembeau Collection.

 

[ducon007]

"Le Martyre de Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha"
(The Martyrdom of Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha)
By Joseph Légaré, Québec painter (1795-1855).


The martyrdom by the Iroquois of a young native woman who converted to Christianity.
For more information, see here (but it's in French...):

Martyre de Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha

Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, un musée humaniste, inclusif et innovant, qui s’ouvre à toutes les disciplines comme les arts visuels, l’histoire et les sciences.

www.mbam.qc.ca

 

[mysterybadger]

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Number one is Goya, number two a Norman Lindsay pirate (qv). Four is I believe an illustration from a Czech myth.

 

[Eulalia]

"Le Martyre de Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha"
(The Martyrdom of Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha)
By Joseph Légaré, Québec painter (1795-1855).

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The martyrdom by the Iroquois of a young native woman who converted to Christianity.
For more information, see here (but it's in French...):

Martyre de Françoise Brunon-Gonannhatenha

Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, un musée humaniste, inclusif et innovant, qui s’ouvre à toutes les disciplines comme les arts visuels, l’histoire et les sciences.

www.mbam.qc.ca

She says to her father, Talasco, 'A Christian martyr can die with as much courage as the proudest captive of your tribe!'
He responds, 'The pure blood of the Iroquois flows in her veins! Prepare the pyre, the shadows of night will cover her ashes.'
She goes on preaching about the merit of her torture, until her father gets so enraged he snatches the crucifix out of her hand, pulls a knife from his belt, and goes to carve a cross on her breast.

The artist has based the figures on engravings of works by Renaissance artists: Rubens, del Sarto, Salvator Rosa. An ancestral CF manip artist!

 

[ducon007]

Several Christian martyrs crucified and surrounding a "pieta".
By Hieronymus Wierix, Flemish engraver (1553-1619).

 

[Eulalia]

Several Christian martyrs crucified and surrounding a "pieta".
By Hieronymus Wierix, Flemish engraver (1553-1619).

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Interesting that he's put us all on crosses, though several of the women were martyred in ways that would have been unnecessarily difficult in that position - e.g. Tarbula being sawn apart, Blandina gored by a bull, Febronia having various bits chopped off her ...

 

[supplice]

Interesting that he's put us all on crosses, though several of the women were martyred in ways that would have been unnecessarily difficult in that position - e.g. Tarbula being sawn apart, Blandina gored by a bull, Febronia having various bits chopped off her ...

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. Or maybe that is the spice of death.

 

[Loxuru]

Several Christian martyrs crucified and surrounding a "pieta".
By Hieronymus Wierix, Flemish engraver (1553-1619).

Interesting that he's put us all on crosses, though several of the women were martyred in ways that would have been unnecessarily difficult in that position - e.g. Tarbula being sawn apart, Blandina gored by a bull, Febronia having various bits chopped off her ...

I think, the artist wanted to emphasise on the symbolism of the martyrdom, stating that they were all "carrying their cross" or symbolically "crucified" by getting martyred.
That symbolism comes together in the middle pic on the bottom row. Martyrdom as a direct ticket to heaven!

 

[ducon007]

Another martyr: Sainte Foy d'Agen (Fides in Latin, Faith in English). Very popular in south-west France, where there are many towns and churches named after Sainte-Foy.
Burnt on a grill then beheaded around 303 AD.
From #1 to 3: illuminations from manuscripts held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF).
#4: Jacques Callot, famous engraver from Lorraine.
#5: Franz Ludwig Hermann, painter. Martyrdom of Saint Foy, detail of ceiling painting. Location: Sölden (district of Breisgau), parish church of Saint Foy and Saint Mark.

 

[supplice]

Another martyr: Sainte Foy d'Agen (Fides in Latin, Faith in English). Very popular in south-west France, where there are many towns and churches named after Sainte-Foy.
Burnt on a grill then beheaded around 303 AD.
From #1 to 3: illuminations from manuscripts held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF).
#4: Jacques Callot, famous engraver from Lorraine.
#5: Franz Ludwig Hermann, painter. Martyrdom of Saint Foy, detail of ceiling painting. Location: Sölden (district of Breisgau), parish church of Saint Foy and Saint Mark.

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Wow! Eulalias (however many there were), Sainte Faith, Joan of Arc...Men really liked putting young girls to horrible deaths.

 

[ducon007]

Two Félicien Rops:
"Le Sacrifice"



"L'enlèvement"
(The Abduction)

 

[ducon007]

"Nightmare"
(1800)
By Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (Danish painter).

 

[ducon007]

"Ruggiero rescuing Angelica"
Two illustrations for Song X of 'Orlando Furioso' by Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533).
Gustave Doré:



Arthur Berzinsh:



More or less the theme of Perseus and Andromeda...

 

[Eulalia]

"Ruggiero rescuing Angelica"
Two illustrations for Song X of 'Orlando Furioso' by Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533).
Gustave Doré:

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Arthur Berzinsh:

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More or less the theme of Perseus and Andromeda...

Angelica in #2 seems to be enjoying being felt up by the spare tentacles of what looks like a giant prawn. Shame on Ruggiero, spoiling the fun! If I remember rightly, once he has 'rescued' her, he tries to rape her, but she's a feisty girl, she's already driven Orlando crazy (Furioso) I'm not quite sure how she gets to be playing Andromeda, but she's the kind of lassie that gets into spots like that!

 

[ducon007]

Angelica in #2 seems to be enjoying being felt up by the spare tentacles of what looks like a giant prawn. Shame on Ruggiero, spoiling the fun! If I remember rightly, once he has 'rescued' her, he tries to rape her, but she's a feisty girl, she's already driven Orlando crazy (Furioso) I'm not quite sure how she gets to be playing Andromeda, but she's the kind of lassie that gets into spots like that!

I only remember that Orlando (Roland) goes mad (furioso) because Angelica rejects him to marry someone else (rather ungrateful, the beauty...).

 

[ducon007]

An Inquisition scene by an anonymous artist...
...unless anyone has an idea!

 

[thehangingtree]

An Inquisition scene by an anonymous artist...
...unless anyone has an idea!

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"I assure you, my good man, this is the work of the church. We must expose her breasts to properly extract her confession!"