Every time I begin to say her name, I want to sing it, stretching it out with emphasis on the vowel sounds like the British Invasion duo Peter and Gordon. L-A-A-A-D-E-E-E G-O-D-I-I-I-V-A-A-A. The legend of Lady Godiva has inspired a broad spectrum of artists, such as the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Disco group Boney M, as well as entrepreneur Joseph Draps, founder of Godiva Chocolatier. I, too, am inspired and have been happy to spend some time looking at a sculpture of Lady Godiva that was recently added to the DMA’s collection. This life-size, marble beauty was carved by nineteenth-century American sculptress Anne Whitney. In the sculpture, Lady Godiva appears to remove her belt, foreshadowing the famous naked ride she took on horseback through Coventry to protest her husband’s tax policies. Come take a look at this sculpture now on view in the American galleries!
Detail of Lady Godiva
Detail of Lady Godiva, robe trim with horses
- Lady Godiva, Anne Whitney, c. 1861-1864, Marble, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Dr. Alessandra Comini in memory of Dr. Eleanor Tufts, who discovered the Massachusetts-backyard whereabouts of this long-forgotten statue and brought it to Dallas, 2011.8.
Nicole Stutzman
Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships
