Small Cassandra Statue

This slightly smaller female nude art sculpture is know as Cassandra, "she who entangles men", and also went by the name Alexandra. She was the daughter of the rulers of Troy during the Trojan war, according to Homer's Iliad. Cassandra was a beautiful young female, blessed with the gift of prophecy given to her by Apollo (who was also infatuated with her). Unfortunately, she shunned Apollo at the last minute and he added a twist to her gift; Cassandra was doomed to tell the truth, but never to be believed. Cassandra has always been misunderstood and misinterpreted as a madwoman involved in crazy doomsday prophecies. But there is so much more to Cassandra than her maddened predictions and pitiable treatment. Cassandra was a great, intelligent heroine who was cursed by the gods for not playing by their rules. Modern scholars view her as a tragic figure, not a madwoman. The art of her sculpture shows a female brushing her hair while standing nude.