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Artists throughout the ages have found
The Three Graces an appealing subject. They were depicted in
sculpture and vase paintings by the ancient Greeks, in Roman
wall paintings at Pompeii, in Botticelli's allegorical painting
known as Springtime, and in this statue which Canova carved in
marble. Their prominence in the world of art is somewhat surprising
because their role in mythology was not great. They were the
beautiful sister goddesses who attended Venus, the goddess of
love. They were an ancient symbol of liberality. It was Aglaia,
a representation of splendor, who gave away; Euphrosyne who represented
jollity was the sister who received and Thalia, identified with
abundance, was she who gave back. |