Phryne (Frine)
Phryne (c. 371 BC-after 316 BC) was an ancient Greek courtesan who became one of the wealthiest women in Greece. She is best known for her trial for impiety, where she was defended by the orator Hypereides. According to legend, she was acquitted after baring her breasts to the jury, though the historical accuracy of this episode is doubtful.
Ercole Rosa was born into a family in the Marche region of Italy. His father was a stone-cutter who supplemented his income by fashioning small figurines out of terracotta. Rosa’s first experience of sculpture was in helping his father at this work. He moved to Rome to study sculpture in 1858 and in 1874 won the competition for the commission of a monument depicting the Cairoli brothers. With the completion of this monument Rosa became a leading figure in the Roman art world and his reputation spread across Italy resulting in various important commissions including the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Among his other works were the statues in the façade of the Palazzo delle Finanze of Rome, Diana the hunter and the large bust of Alessandro Manzoni.
