Female Figure. Female Figure is a near life-size 16th century marble statue by the Flemish sculptor Giambologna.
It measures 114.9 cm and depicts an unidentified woman who may be Bathsheba, Venus or another mythological person. The work dates from 1571-73, early in the artist's career, and has been held by the J. Paul Getty Museum since 1982.
The woman is nude save for a bracelet on her upper left arm and a discarded garment covering her lap. She sits on a column draped with cloths, holding a jar in one hand, drying her left foot with the other.
According to the Getty, her complex positioning shows her bathing in a graceful serpentine pose, characteristic of Mannerist elegance. figura serpentinata.
Other art historians describe her unusual bodily positioning as evidencing an anxious grace. The work's dating and attribution was debated for centuries, though it is now confidently associated with Giambologna due to its similarity to several other known works by him, including the Florence Triumphant over Pisa now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The statue has been restored twice and is in relatively good condition. The sculpture is carved from a single block of white Carrara marble-a rare medium for Giambologna. The surface is highly finished and in good condition aside from some drill and rasp marks. It depicts a nude young woman in the act of washing, seated in an awkward position on a trun