Pygmalion’s Dream-the Nude Sleeping in a Hammock

Sculptor Antonio Frilli carved his statue of a Nude Sleeping in a Hammock according to the Pygmalion myth. Frilli’s life-sized statue came to San Francisco for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition. There she was purchased to rest as Eva in the garden of a home later owned by lawyer and pianist John Hayden. After selling her John came to believe it was Eva’s curse that caused his ten years of misfortune.But when he discovered that the Nude Sleeping in a Hammock is proudly owned in London by Andrew Lloyd Webber Eva’s curse was ended. John overcame his bout with depression, he had a religious awakening, he found a replacement for Eva and he discovered a way to play his Steinway despite the arthritis in his hands.Gary Rinehart takes his readers on many tours: Of history, of music, of pianos, of jazz, of musicians in the US Navy, of European travel, of depression and of religion. Pygmalion’s Dream of a Nude Sleeping in a Hammock deserves more than a surface glance.