Leda and the Swan c. 1710
antoniomontauti
minneapolisinstituteofart
bronze, sculpture
baroque
sculpture
bronze
figuration
sculpture
nude
erotic-art
Antonio Montauti's "Leda and the Swan" (c. 1710) depicts the Greek myth of Leda, a Spartan queen, seduced by Zeus disguised as a swan. This bronze sculpture, located at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, captures the moment of the encounter, with Leda embracing the swan in a gesture of both resistance and acceptance. The artist masterfully rendered the figures' musculature and the flowing drapery, creating a dramatic and captivating scene.
Comments
Zeus, the ancient Greek god of the sky and thunder, desired Leda, the beautiful wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta. To win her affection, he assumed the elegant guise of a swan and approached her on a riverbank. In Montauti’s work, the two are shown in a tender embrace, with the swan inclining intently to meet the mortal Leda’s affectionate gaze. Their close eye contact suggests they share not only a physical attraction—the main focus of most artistic representations of the subject—but a psychological attraction as well. Note too the variety of vivid surface textures the artist achieves, from Leda’s supple flesh to the swan’s delicate plumage to the misty vapor of the cloud that encircles both figures.
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