The Velázquez’s painting which was stabbed
Stories behind the Works of Art
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The Story of the Velázquez’s Painting which was Stabbed
Venus at her Mirror (1647). Velazquez.
More than a century ago, this painting by Velázquez was stabbed to death and became a symbol of the fight for women’s rights. And there’s something else that can be intriguing at first glance if you don’t know the complete story: the cause of the attack was the work’s beauty, not the image of the naked woman.
It occurred in 1914, in the middle of a riot in London with the women suffragettes —supporters of the right of women to vote— whose campaign sometimes ended in riots and heroines being imprisoned by the police.
The leader of that British suffrage movement was Emmeline Pankhurst, who ended up being arrested after a revolt. The following day, a woman entered the National Gallery without attracting attention, as just another visitor: it was Mary Richardson, who was not just another visitor, but who had hidden between her clothes a knife with which she violently attacked the Venus of Velazquez.
Seven stabs.
Richardson, who was dubbed “Slasher Mary” by the media after this event, was arrested nine times in just two years. She also received the maximum penalty for causing damage to a work of art: six months in prison.
What was the true meaning of the attack? She explained it: “I have tried to destroy the picture of the most beautiful woman in mythological history as a protest against the Government for destroying Mrs. Pankhurst, who is the most beautiful character in modern history. Justice is an element of beauty as much as color and outline on canvas.”
Recommended links:
Velázquez, the Painter of the Greatness and the Miseries of Men.
The Spinners or The Fable of Arachne (1655-1660) by Velázquez.
Characteristic Elements of Baroque Painting.
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