Leda of Venus (?) met vogel en putti voor een schelp 1500 - 1561

This drawing of Leda with a swan and putti was made by Alonso Berruguete sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Berruguete was a key figure in the Spanish High Renaissance, trained in Italy, before returning to his home country. The story of Leda and the Swan captivated artists for centuries, as it offers a complex nexus of beauty, power, and mythology. Here Leda is seen nude, with an almost stoic expression while a swan wraps around her. Erotic myth meets the idealization of female beauty; Leda's vulnerability, yet the implication of divine encounter. This challenges the traditional narrative of female passivity by suggesting an active role in a mythological event. Berruguete’s drawing invites reflection on desire and representation, and how the feminine form has been mythologized and, at times, exploited within art history.