Medium: Bronze on Welsh Slate
Size: 39 x 15 x 64 cm
Edition: 2 of 12
The German writer Johann Karl August Musäus’s story Der geraubte Schleier (The Stolen Veil) is one of the many stories, which inspired the libretto Swan Lake. It is a version in which a veil, which is stolen from her by an amorous mortal, holds the swan maiden’s power. The tale screams female disempowerment.
However the sculpture of The Stolen Veil seeks to harnesses the power of a woman. With an alluring athletic form, she is shown dressed only in ballet shoes and stands on pointe, with her arm seductively placed above her head. Her pose transforms her naked body into a sexual object. The shoes imply strength, delicacy, ethereality or dependence. A question is suggested “Is she draping the veil around her form to cover her body or is she revealing it?”
The Stolen Veil by Teresa Wells MRSS
Teresa Wells MRSS is a renowned British Sculptor who creates emotive figurative sculptures in bronze, that celebrate man’s physical and emotional survival over adversity. Inspired by the question “How do Humans Behave”, she draws inspiration from the contours of athletes and ballet dancers to emphasise a physical strength, placing them in precarious poses to stress fragility.
When combined with geometric architectural supports, in steel and stone, she shows a contemporary approach to bronze, lifting it off the plinth and making it appear less monumental and traditional.
Teresa is a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors, and she has clients including: Juliet Sargeant, The Blue Peter Garden, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ production of Dracula, The Robert T Webb Sculpture Garden USA, and many more.
Teresa Wells’ work has found homes in private collections both domestically and internationally.
