Tall, extremely slim and with a voluptuous bosom: this is how young models look on the catwalk and it is the ideal of beauty for many people. But this has not always been the case. What was only possible for wealthy people at any given time was considered beautiful. When women worked outside in the fields, an ivory complexion was desirable – a sign of the fact that they did not need to work in the fields. More voluptuous shapes were appreciated in times of need. Pictures of Venus and the Graces nearly always show the kind of rounded stomachs that today’s women would combat with sit-ups and strict diets. And the bosom was somewhat smaller than the modern ideal. These women were considered so beautiful in their own time, however, that they were painted as Venus or the Graces. The nude motif on an artistic wallpaper reminds us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.