Beginning with Flora, the Spring Goddess, Permoser applies the discussion of her life as revealed in Ovid’s Fasti, in his sculpture. In …show more content…
Ovid’s Fasti, Flora explains the origin of her being, beginning with her life as a nymph. She was known for her beauty, and Zephyr, the Greek god of the West Wind, yearned for her. Additionally, Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind, had given his brother Zephyr the right to rape her, and to amend his actions he took her as his bride, as well as making her Goddess of Flowers, eventually through time evolving into the Goddess of Spring. Following this story, Permoser’s imagery of the goddess becomes more laden with meaning and depth. The statuette is more than just a representation of the spring goddess; it is a story of Flora’s survived torment, and Boreas’ atonement. In a coy manner, Flora looks off to the side, avoiding eye contact with the audience, as well as the putto at her feet. Her smile is innocent, yet knowing. Rightfully so, flower garlands are covering her head, fastened at her neck, and grasped in her hands, as it is one of her main symbols as a Goddess. There is, however, more to the flowers than functioning as a basic identifier. Their prominence may be to symbolize her personal torment. The flowers, a seemingly beautiful object, represent her rape, her betrothal and her compensation for her husband’s actions. She is draped in clothing, barely covering her breasts, falling off her arm and bunching at her feet, as well as covering the head of the putto.
It drapes on her body in an airy and weightless manner, attaching a whimsical and fun feeling to the Goddess. The Goddess stands with her right leg, crossing over her straightened left leg, as if she was engaged in a sort of dance. A putto stands at her feet, reaching up towards her grabbing at her clothing. It is most likely placed to help identify her with the divine. Next in the set is another Goddess, Ceres, representative of summer. Just as the history of Flora provides for a more cynical past, so does that of Ceres. As the goddess of agriculture and harvest, she was well revered by her followers. Through a tragic turn of events, Ceres is associated with the seasons. Pluto, ruler of the underworld, kidnapped Ceres’ daughter, as he wished to marry her, causing Ceres to follow them into the underworld. Fueled by anger, she went to live in the human world as an old woman, and ceased her duties creating a massive famine across the world. After seeing the events unfold, Jupiter, King of the Gods, decided to take action and return Ceres’ daughter, but alas she had already eaten the food of the underworld, tethering her to that land. As a compromise, Ceres was granted her daughter for some months of the year, the summer months, but when her daughter leaves, the plants die and autumn would begin. Just as with Flora, Permoser does not illustrate Ceres with a jarringly obvious tinge of torment. Instead, Permoser chooses to illustrate Ceres as woman, who is seemingly older than Flora, staring at a bundle of wheat with her mouth gapped and her eyes focused. Her expression, unlike Flora, is more concerned and anxious, seeming more motherly. Like Flora, Ceres is draped in a garment, which thickens at the bottom, gathering along the legs. However, unlike Flora, her right breast is exposed most likely to illustrate her older age, or lesser innocence. Torment is shown in a subtle way, such as the worry on her face and the exposed breast, both further illustrating Permoser’s use of story telling through emotions and minute details.
Following summer is autumn, illustrated through the statuette of Bacchus, the god of wine, also known as Dionysus.
Unlike the aforementioned Goddesses, Bacchus has a rather tumultuous beginning to his being that precedes birth. According to myth, Jupiter, the King of the Gods, was caught being unfaithful to Juno, his wife, with a mortal named Semele. Juno tricked the impregnated Semele into looking at the god-form of Jupiter. Unable to withstand the power that was released, Semele died, prompting Jupiter to save the child by putting it in his thigh. Bacchus was then born out of Zeus’ thigh, and raised by Hermes, who hid him from Juno’s wrath by keeping him with different foster parents and nurses. As he grew, Bacchus traveled with satyrs, was often followed by women, and was usually intoxicated with a band of others. Permoser illustrates Bacchus in a manner that is true to form. Beginning with the chalice and grapes in his hand, symbols of the God of Wine. Furthermore, the hair atop his head seems to have taken the shape of grapes. Just as Bacchus is known for being with a multitude of women, he is seen donning a singular thin garment, which is wrapped around his neck, with one sliver covering his genitals. His pose is consistent with the womanizing personality of Bacchus, highlighting his musculature. Furthermore, his face reads a more carefree glee, staring into the chalice, and grinning with an open mouth. It is in his lighthearted expression and excessive symbolism of wine that torment is woven. Bacchus is shown removing himself from his woes, masking any emotional pain by completely submerging himself in his acts of
debauchery.
Lastly in the set, is Vulcan, the god of fire, representing winter. Out of all of the gods in this set, Vulcan illustrates the most outward form of torment. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, the King and Queen of the Gods, but was born deformed, thus his parents had literally thrown him out of heaven. Vulcan had then landed on the isle of Lemnos, where, in time, he had learned to maneuver metals, teaching others along the way. He became known for working with metals and fire, creating objects for other deities. Although he had made strides in his work, Vulcan was often the object of ridicule or pity due to his deformity and line of work. His statuette shows him shivering near a fire, covered in a shawl. Clearly, he is rendered as an elderly male; rather muscular, grabbing onto the shawl that is covering him. Additionally, Vulcan has a beard that seems to be whisked to his left shoulder, just like the cloth, giving into the illusion of wind beating against him. Permoser amazingly illustrates the feeling of cold in the ivory statuette, as he leans over a fire for warmth, strengthening his hold on the shawl. The eyes of Vulcan are looking down in a timid, sulking manner, as seen by the wrinkles forming on his forehead. His serious, saddened appearance may be due to his label as an outcast, one that is based on ridicule and shame. Unlike Bacchus, Vulcan’s pose is more closed off, retracting into himself, most likely because of the cold, literally depicting the season of winter through his consequence. In this piece, Permoser returns to the direct illustration of physical torment, however, in regards to Vulcan, there is also torment within the soul.
An interesting addition to the set of statuettes is the putti, which enhance the characteristic of each individual piece. None of the putti are replicable, putting an irreplaceable stamp upon each season. On the foot of Flora, the putto reaches up in a playful manner, yearning to be engaged with the goddess. As opposed to the putto on Ceres, which is in a different position, one yearning for motherly affection, seen in its gaze. Lastly, the putto that is depicted with Bacchus is actually a satyr reaching for Bacchus’ grapes. In this instance, the putto is transformed to the character that is often attached to the God, and partakes in his actions, seeming as if he is wanting for the grapes and wine. There is, however, an anomaly in the series of putto, as Vulcan is shown devoid of one. Instead, Vulcan is shown with a large fire near his foot, presumably for warmth.
An interesting notion to this set is the use of linearity. Permoser pairs spring and summer as women, and autumn and winter as men. Furthermore, the age of the characters grows older from spring into summer, showing a physical representation of the year growing older. In regards to this notion, the characters also illustrate a cyclic pattern in their age, going from young to old, back to young, just as the seasons perform a cyclic pattern. Additionally, Flora and Ceres seem like obvious choices for their season, as their mythological backgrounds directly pertain to it. Bacchus and Vulcan, on the other hand, are not as apparent, and may have been chosen for more subtle reasons such as the harvest fruits in autumn and the need for warmth in winter.
The selection of each of the characters as representations of each of the seasons is also pivotal in understanding the usage of torment. Each of the characters brings a new layer of torment, illustrating the many different forms it can take.