Minneapolis Institute of Art

Leda and the Swan

Albert-Ernest Carrier-BelleuseLinkedCulture matchlcp-eee7f4b21923

Date: c. 1858
Medium: Terra-cotta
Department: European Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Object ID: 4505

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

Based upon a chalk drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo (1475-1564), this terra cotta sculpture depicts Leda, the ancient Queen of Sparta, being seduced by the Greek god Zeus in the guise of a swan. Dating back to Greek mythology, Leda and the Swan offered artists an acceptable motif for erotic depiction. The French sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse chose this mythological subject to embody the sensuality of the reclining female form and evoke the artistic traditions of the great Renaissance masters. France, Europe

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