this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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Art

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Nude in a Hammock in White Carrara marble by Antonio Frilli. How on earth does the physics work here with all that weight in the middle! (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 5 days ago by SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/visualarts@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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[–] AnarchoSnowPlow@midwest.social 108 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Incredible art. Any time I see marble look like cloth, it blows my mind.

As to the physics, the amount of material holding up the hammock is likely much more significant than it appears. Not to say it isn't delicate, I'm sure much side to side movement would break it quite easily, but the vertical strength is probably significantly more than it seems, it's sort of like a bridge with a truck on it...

[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 15 points 5 days ago (4 children)

How do they move this between exhibitions? Put it in a box, cover it in plastic and fill it with plaster or PU foam?

[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 62 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Sort of. Put it in a crate, then put wooden batons across to support each section of the sculpture and stop it moving. Each wooden baton is covered in polyethylene foam. Depending on the material of the sculpture, it may be wrapped in plastic, tissue or fabric.

Once it's barred into the crate and cannot wobble about at all, it's sealed up, then moved about on a palette truck or hand-forklift.

Example of a sculpture half-packed:

[–] devdoggy@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

This was very cool to learn about! Thank you for the picture as well!!

[–] M137@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

Carefully, I'm pretty sure.

[–] heydo@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

I would imagine they would put something between the hammock and the floor to support the sculpture during transit. Kind of like expanding foam packs used to ship computers.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

My brain always intuitively parses this shit as literal witchcraft. Like:

My brain: oh my God, that woman was just lounging around and someone turned her to stone and put her in display

Me: no, what you're seeing is just incredible skill in sculpting marble. We've been through this before

My brain: No but look at that fabric! It's real fabric — or it was, before it was turned to stone!

It's so impressive that it literally doesn't compute to me, and I have to remind myself that this is indeed stone.

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

It's rude to talk about a lady's weight like that.

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 3 days ago

It really does look like a marble blanket is draped over the statue. But the "blanket" is structural. So is the arm.

I love these sculptures and the immense talent behind them. Boobies or not, this is incredible work.

[–] user_name@lemmy.world 52 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Hard to tell from the crop, but if the arm is touching the ground that’s a third support pillar.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago

That's what I assumed. I'm sure you could make this without that arm being a pillar, but it's a slightly odd position that obviously they used it for support. Still incredibly impressive, and honestly it only adds to it in my opinion that they had the foresight to extend the arm down to act as a column. I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted long without it.

[–] harsh3466@lemmy.ml 38 points 5 days ago (1 children)

[–] zbyte64@awful.systems 4 points 4 days ago

Occam's razor says it gotta be antigravity

[–] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 27 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I mean, isn't it basically a bench?

[–] Madison420@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Sorta yeah. Just with three supporting legs.

Both ends which make it look like the poles at the end are supporting the center but they're only part, most of the support is an optical illusion that makes the blanket or hammock fabric look visually thinner if you look diagonally across you'll see the fabric is actually much thicker than it looks from either side. The third leg is her arm which acts a a minor support by actually touching the base.

https://historyvisit.one/sweet-dreams-1892-sculptor-antonio-frilli/

Picture 2 shows the ends diagonally, you'll see they're actually fairly thick pyramids-ish triangular shapes.

Pictures 3, 5 and 6 show her arm touching the base.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Bro, did you just call her fat?

But really, non contaminated marble is very strong in a load bearing sense, and the ends of the statue are plenty thick enough to support that weight. The arm that rests on the ground as well was much more likely there to be a support to keep the arm from getting damaged, and not a part made to keep the statue from snapping elsewhere.

[–] Fossifoo@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago

Her abs are rock hard.

[–] wetsoggybread@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Okay ill be the child here - he he boobies

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 14 points 4 days ago (2 children)

If I may join in, is that a sculpture of someone fingering someone else's butt in the background too?

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

oil check

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Naaah, it's probably an enema between two friends.

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

With friends like that, who needs enemas?

[–] toeblast96@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago

𝔟𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔱?

[–] Auster@thebrainbin.org 24 points 5 days ago (1 children)

On the physics, marble on the legs and torso seem quite dense where they connect to the pillars, and also the base seems complete and flat, the three likely causing enough pressure for the center of the piece to not be crushed under its own weight.

[–] NickeeCoco@piefed.social 31 points 5 days ago (1 children)

load-bearing dangly arm

[–] Auster@thebrainbin.org 13 points 4 days ago

User thinkyfish in another comment also mentioned the cloth at both ends of the hammock are solid stone too, adding even more resistance to the sculpture. Fantastic work not just in beauty, but engineering too.

[–] thinkyfish@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

First thing is that even though it looks like separate objects, they are actually all connected and solid, like her face on the pillow, the cloth and the posts. Note that the cloth actually has a large interior volume you cannot see--it's all solid. Also, her hand actually touches the bottom and is providing support, so its really like two small arches.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Her hand touches the base.

You have to remind your brain that all the "hanging" elements are also solid rock. It's an illusion.

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

It's an incredible illusion.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Did she know that he was sculpting her while she slept!? This feels a little invasive.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Probably by hiding a hole underneath the drape that they used to hollow it out.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 points 4 days ago

Or reinforcements

[–] theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 5 days ago

Assuming the figure is mostly hollow and the floor is a couple inches solid or the sides "blankets" are very supporting.