Pandora
1873
Alexandre Cabanel captures the tense moment right before disaster strikes in this 1873 masterpiece. The first woman of Greek mythology, Pandora, stands with a serene, almost innocent gaze, clutching the infamous golden box that holds all the world's evils. Draped in lush green fabric and crowned with golden leaves, her flawlessly polished skin and idealized beauty perfectly mask the catastrophic curiosity about to unfold. As a leading figure of the French Academic movement, Cabanel was famous for this kind of mythological eye candy, turning ancient warnings into breathtakingly beautiful portraits that fascinated 19th-century audiences.
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