Beauty over the ages.

I have a few plates by Piero Fornasetti, a witty, imaginative Italian artist who made his art between 1933-1988. He is well known for his series of plates and pieces of furniture. He had a signature style; black and white representations of a woman's face are among his repeated elements.
Look at the photo of the plate. Isn't she beautiful? Three different images of her hang near my breakfast table. Being a 10 day veteran of Weight Watchers I am trying to have proper meals at the table. As I munch on my low cal, low taste food, I study her. She is serene, feminine and hauntingly beautiful. And yet the contour of her face is wide, her cheek and chin full. She is not what we would consider the perfect woman now a days. In fact I could see her in line, right in front of me, waiting for her weekly weigh in.
Fornasetti found the image of this woman in a 19th century French magazine. Her name was Lina Cavalieri. She was considered a great beauty in her time. Looking at her as I eat my 7 points of food (Weight Watchers system of points per/meal), I think: how lucky was Lina? She would have been able to eat good food and still be happy with how she looked.

Ahhhh, beauty over the ages...