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The fantastical tales of Classical mythology detail
a great number of unusual amorous couplings.
Zeus, king of the gods, was known to often
change his form in order to satisfy his physical
desires while averting his wife’s suspicion. So
the stories are told of Zeus turning into a bull, an
eagle, or even something as abstract as a shower
of gold in order to attain the objects of his
desire. But perhaps no metamorphosis is quite
as endearing as the legend of Leda and the Swan,
a myth that has proved perfect fodder for
painters, sculptors, and poets both in antiquity
and again in the Renaissance and afterwards.
Leda was the wife of Tyndareus, the king of
Sparta, and the mother to many noble children,
including the famous beauty Helen, the heroine
Clytemnestra, and the twins Castor and
Polydeuces. However, while Helen was the
mother of all these children, her husband was
not the father of all. Enter Zeus. One day while
bathing, Leda caught the eyes of Zeus who
quickly transformed himself into a swan. He
arranged for an eagle to attack him in swan form,
invoking Leda’s empathy. After the aerial battle
subsided, Leda approached the wary swan and
comforted it by placing her arms around the
bird, not realizing that this animal was really the
most powerful god. According to legend, this
union produced the infamous beauty Helen,
whose abduction by Paris would initiate the
Trojan War, as well as one or more of her other
offspring.
In this spectacular bronze rendition of this
celebrated myth, Leda sits with her head turned
to the left, grasping the swan by the neck and
leg. She wears a long cloak that falls from her
right shoulder, exposing her bare back and
heightening the inherent eroticism of the piece.
Her face is remarkably detailed, with full lips and
eyes complete with indented pupils, and her hair
is bound in a chignon and crowned by a diadem,
perhaps alluding to her role as Queen of Sparta.
These details on the swan are equally as
stunning, with the texture of the individual
feathers of his wings carefully incised. This
masterpiece of ancient Roman bronze sculpture
is a gorgeous rendition of one of the most
popular mythological subjects. The circular
composition is filled with movement, capturing
the moment when Zeus’ true intentions are
revealed.
- (X.0107)
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