[Nymph Philosophy] Why the nude female form?

[Koen G]

It's an interesting example, one I hadn't seen before. Just to be clear, this illustration is from a very specific anecdote. From the paper you linked:

"In a scene from his vita, the spiteful monk Florentius desired to see Benedict falter. He led seven naked women into the monastery garden. Upon seeing the women play (ludentes) and join hands from his window, Benedict promptly left the monastery with some of his disciples [...] This dance iconography effectively genders vice and virtue. Monasticism is masculine/monotheistic/chaste; depravity is feminine/idolatrous/lustful."

In this case, the nude female body is portrayed as an almost devilish, sinful temptation.

That said, I think a case could be made for the VM nymphs being like dancers, with their almost formulaic poses suggestive of movement.