A ROMAN MARBLE FRAGMENTARY GROUP OF LEDA AND THE SWAN

CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE FRAGMENTARY GROUP OF LEDA AND THE SWAN
Circa 2nd Century A.D.
Sculpted in the round, Leda reclining to the left, depicted nude, a medallion hanging on a long chain between her breasts, her hair pulled up into a chignon and tied with a patterned band, the open right wing of the swan creating a back drop behind her head, the swan bending forward and kissing her left breast with his open bill, fragments of two small feet, perhaps of Eros, preserved above the swan's wing
15¾ in. (40 cm) high

Provenance

European Private Collection, acquired in the 1990s

Lot Essay

According to Greek mythology, Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan. This encounter, depicted with overt eroticism in Greek and Roman art, produced the egg that brought forth Helen. For a trapezophoros with a similar composition, now in the Istanbul Museum, see no. 133, p. 244 in "Leda" in LIMC, Vol. VI.

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