Flora (1913) by Louise Abbéma Lavender_Menace The other hand holds his

The other hand holds his ankle preventing him from moving on the stool

empowered figure this piece is a celebration of strength

myth and domesticity - while the knight’s sheath points suggestively upwards

read it as rebellion

Flora (1913) by Louise Abbéma Lavender_Menace The other hand holds hisLouise Abbmas Flora (1913) turns the Roman goddess of flowers into a Belle poque daydream: draped in lavender, surrounded by sunflowers, butterflies and soft, theatrical bloom. Christies records the work as oil on canvas, signed and dated by Abbma. No known sitter or lover is attached; the charge sits with the artist herself. Abbma lived openly as a lesbian, built a public career on her own terms, and moved through the world with delicious confidence.