Suffragette Mary Richardson Slashes Velázquez's Rokeby Venus in 1914 Protest

In 1914, suffragette Mary Richardson attacked Diego Velázquez's "Rokeby Venus" at the National Gallery in London, slashing it with a meat cleaver. The attack occurred the day after the arrest of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. Richardson stated she destroyed the image of the most beautiful woman in mythological history to protest the government's destruction of Pankhurst, the most beautiful character in modern history. The painting, created in 1648, shows Venus reclining nude, her face visible only through a mirror held by Cupid. It was commissioned by a private patron, later owned by Manuel Godoy, and housed at Rokeby Park before entering the National Gallery. Richardson was sentenced to six months. The damaged canvas remains imperfect, a testament to the fragmentary nature of beauty. Spain retains only two historical nudes: Goya's "Maya Desnuda" and Velázquez's "Rokeby Venus."