BEFORE THE BALL
BRONZE SCULPTURE
13 x 15 x 6 INCHES
$5,500.00
The artist uses motives of the Cinderella fairy tale, a girl who lost her crystal shoe at the ball and the prince who fell in love with her. We discover here, as well, an interest to symbolism and allegory, particularly found in the texts of medieval alchemy. Alchemists tried to transform base metals into gold. But, in fact, the transformation of a poor girl into a fine princess is also a kind of alchemical manipulation, “transmutation” of “cinders” into gold.
The picture represents the arrival of Princess Cinderella – a fair-haired beauty of the North – to her groom. His carriage is just about to arrive. The Princess and her retinue are walking in the shining beauty of nature. The wind welcomes her, filling her veil and transforming it into a shoe – a symbol of Cinderella’s destiny.
The sky is filled with alternating stripes of rays and rain and the fanciful game of clouds. Crystal ripples sparkle and glisten in the sun.
All this gives rise to a feeling of renovation, joy of the beginning of a new life. Now we seem to be hearing the sound of familiar music: “Here Comes the Bride!”
