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Apollo, scorned by the Trojan prophetess Cassandra, cursed her so that she was never believed. Ercole Drei depicted Cassandra when, after the fall of Troy, she took refuge in the temple of Athena and was abducted by Ajax.

In this sculpture, Drei’s studies of Cassandra’s psychological torment are revealed by the way she nervously holds her arms to her chest. Echoes of Art Nouveau are evident in her flowing hair, long neck, twisting torso, and the swirling drapery. However, in his attention to her turmoil and profound, mysterious feelings, the sculptor revealed the influence of Symbolism that he absorbed at Domenico Baccarini’s Cenacolo.