Reverse Pygmalion

I took this photo about a month ago. I was in Italy. The bus driver needed to stop for his 10am cigarette so he pulled over at this quiet park (even though he didn't speak a word of English, you could always tell when Euri needed a smoke). Somewhere between Trevi and Roma.

My cousin and I stumbled on this statue on the far side park along the banks of a mineral pool. The pools and nearby creek used to feed into a Roman bath. While we were furiously photographing the statue (trying to get a good shot before Euri finished his cigarette), I started thinking about Pygmalion. The Greek myth about a sculptor who fell in love with one of his own statues. Because he was so infatuated with his creation, the gods brought her to life. 

I thought of this sculpture as a "reverse Pygmalion." Maybe the sculptor loves his model enough to immortalize her in marble and place her next to these quiet mineral pools.