Unlike traditional sculptures, La Lettrice does not have an unexpressive goddess face, instead it has human facial expressions. The girl is sitting on a chair with no shoes, reading a book written by poet and playwright
Giovanni Battista Niccolini. On the original sculpture, lines from the text can be read: one of them is celebrating the freedom of
Lombardy from
Austrian Empire persecution after the
Revolutions of 1848 with an emotive expression with a tear on her cheek. La Lettrice represent
Italy as a young nation coming into maturity. == Further versions ==