Water Nymphs - Palm Springs, CA
Posted by: Metro2
N 33° 49.469 W 116° 32.986
11S E 541663 N 3742786
Located in the Palm Springs Art Museum at 101 N Museum Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Waymark Code: WMT47P
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2016
Views: 0
This bronze sculpture by Henri Laurens is entitled "Les Ondines (Water Nymphs)" and is dated 1934.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Undines ...(or ondines) are a category of elemental beings associated with water, first named in the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Similar creatures are found in classical literature, particularly Ovid's Metamorphoses. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern literature and art through such adaptations as Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid".
Undines are almost invariably depicted as being female, and are usually found in forest pools and waterfalls. The group contains many species, including nereides, limnads, naiades and mermaids. Although resembling humans in form they lack a human soul, so to achieve immortality they must acquire one by marrying a human. Such a union is not without risk for the man, because if he is unfaithful he is fated to die."