The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is an enchanting myth about a Cypriot sculptor who fell in love with his own sculpture. He prays to goddess Aphrodite (aka Venus) to bring the sculpture to life for it to be his wife. The goddess grants his wish, and the bottom line is, Pygmalion and his creation lived happily ever after.
The myth was turned into an erotic novelette when Ovid adapted the story in his Metamorphosis ). But even this perfumed version gives away the inconspicuous hope of an artist that his creation might spring to life one day and so been inspiring many since its Ancient Greek origin. Franz von Stuck, Jean-Léon Gérôme and, as you see here, François Boucher are among those in line.
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