Phryne.
Artur Grottger, 1867
Phryne is an oil on canvas painted by Artur Grottger in 1867, a few months before his death, during his stay in Paris. It portrays the ancient Greek courtesan Phryne, who according to legend bared herself before her judges to escape a death sentence for sacrilege. The nude woman stands at the centre of the composition, her left hand raised toward her face as if to hide it, while her right hand holds a red robe lying at her feet. A bush in the background hints at a setting, though the scene remains sparse. The work is held in the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków and belongs to the final period of Grottger, who died young. Beyond its narrative, the painting is notable for the tension between nakedness and the gesture of modesty, which turns the figure into a meditation on looking and judgement.
- Painter
- Artur Grottger
- Date
- 1867
- Medium
- oil paint, canvas
- Dimensions
- 97 × 62 cm
- Museum
- Czartoryski Museum, Kraków
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