Headers

The Spank Statement began in 2007 using a reclining nude by 18th Century French painter Francois Boucher as the header image. The model is Mary-Louise O’Murphy a young Irish girl who became one of the mistresses of King Louis XV. Ever since, I’ve changed the image each year but stuck with the basic subject of a rear view reclining nude with draperies.

In 2008 actress Lindsey Lohan replaced Louise O’Murphy.

She is recreating the famous ‘Last Sitting’ photoshoot by Marilyn Monroe for New York Magazine in February of that year.

In 2009, I used a picture of British fashion expert Susannah Constantine which was found on a web page about her latest television series. (One reader thought that it was Cybil Shepherd.)

In 2010, this was replaced by a screen grab of British actress Jodie Whittaker taken from the 2006 film Venus – the subject of one of the earliest Spank Statements.

As I explained in the post, she is recreating a famous nude of the Goddess of Love by Spanish painter Velasquez in the National Gallery, London.

In 2011, I appealed for a ‘lost’ photo of actress Leslie-Anne Down which I hadn’t seen for years and a reader kindly found it for me on the Vintage Erotica Forum. It comes from a shoot that Lesley-Anne did for the soft porn magazine Mayfair. The pose is probably also based on the Velasquez picture.

Update 2013: The current header showcases the flame-haired and tattooed fetish model Amber Dawn, who sent it to me after she saw this page. Read my post about the lovely Amber here.

Here’s some more shots she included showing this naughty Venus with a well spanked red bottom. I chose the bottom right non-red version to use because it fitted the best although the header dimensions on most WordPress themes have become much more flexible since I first started using the picture on January 1 2012.

Since I wrote this page, I’ve been lucky to come across three more interesting pastiches of The Rokeby Venus which are all very contrasting in style and would all make good blog headers.

In the first one Venus is in fact the singer Sinead O’ Connor whose shaved head makes her instantly recognisable even from behind. She sat for the painting in 2003. It was originally commissioned for a Dublin nightclub but was ultimately purchased by O’Connor herself, who hung it in her bedroom.

The artist, Jim Fitzpatrick, has used Celtic imagery and a view of an Irish landscape through the window. The addition of a pair of stockings suggest that this goddess might have a kinky side – as indeed she does! Many thanks to Chross for sending me this.

This black and white photograph has a fetish connection too. It’s the work of kinky fashion photographer Helmut Newton. I found it on ebay where it was being sold as a postcard. I would like to find a better quality version of the picture if possible. The pose of the models is almost identical to the original and the generous sized and superbly displayed buttocks are a perfect match too.

The background seen through the window in this one is a Paris street. One very original and modern touch is that the mirror has been replaced by a television, while the reflection of Venus’ face can still be seen on the screen. That’s a very grown up looking Cupid holding the TV too!

Here we have another great version from recent BBC costume drama Parade’s End. It appeared on screen as a single still image held for a number of seconds. The actress/model is Adelaide Clemens. You can see a video clip of her being threatened with a smacked bottom and read more about her Venus moment here.