The Rape of Ganymede by Jupiter in the guise of an eagle carrying him into the heavens, his dog barking below 1542

This 1542 engraving by Nicolas Beatrizet depicts the abduction of Ganymede, a Trojan youth, by the Roman god Jupiter, who is disguised as an eagle. This famous myth from Roman literature is portrayed in the artwork with dramatic detail. The eagle, in the form of Jupiter, soars upward with the struggling Ganymede in its talons, as a dog howls forlornly below, a symbol of the loss felt on earth. This engraving displays the precision and detail characteristic of Beatrizet's work, with the fine lines used to capture the form and anatomy of each figure.