ABSTRACT
In 1759, excavations at Castellammare di Stabiae in Campania discovered Flora, one of the most haunting and popular icons of Roman art. Wearing a yellow robe, seductively slipping off one shoulder, she turns her half-naked back towards the viewer. Her left arm cradles a basket of flowers; her right hand reaches out to pluck a spray of cream-colored blossoms. Her head is angled so that she almost, but not quite, reveals her profile. It is this aura of mystery, anticipating a moment of eternally deferred revelation, that makes her the favorite among the quartet of sister-images discovered at the Villa Arianna. e four frescoes are commonly, but by no means universally, identified as Leda, Medea, and Diana. Only Flora hides her face from the viewer. Paradoxically, the very act of turning away connects the viewer to her. e bend of her knee and the curve of her instep indicate that she is in motion, and with her head half-turned as if to beckon, one feels drawn to follow.
