The Three Graces, by Antonio Canova
The Graces presided over banquets, dances, and all other pleasurable social events, and brought joy and goodwill to both gods and mortals. They were the special attendants of the divinities of love, Aphrodite and Eros, and together with companions, the Muses, they sang to the gods on Mount Olympus, and danced to beautiful music that the god Apollo made upon his lyre.
In some legends Aglaia was wed to Hephaestus, the craftsman among the gods. Their marriage explains the traditional association of the Graces with the arts; like the Muses, they were believed to endow artists and poets with the ability to create beautiful works of art. The Graces were rarely treated as individuals, but always together as a kind of triple embodiment of grace and beauty.
In art they are usually represented as lithe young maidens, dancing in a circle.
The Three Graces – Botticelli
Meeting (The Three Graces) – Manierre Dawson 1912
The three Graces and Cupid – Bertel Thorvaldsen
The Three Graces – Fresco in Pompeii
Photograph depicting The Three Graces – Don Walthrop
Hello Don, I’m so sorry for using your photo without permission and truly appreciate your allowing me to post it. I love your photography and encourage my readers to visit your portfolio at http://www.donwalthropphotography.com/
Pretty interesting, indeed. I can see that you would have been a wonderful teacher.