Style of Pier Francesco Mola, 'Leda and the Swan', probably 1650-66
About the work
Overview
The story of Leda and the Swan is a Greek myth which exists in various versions. Leda, the wife of the king of Sparta, was loved by the god Jupiter (Zeus in Greek) who transformed himself into a swan and seduced her. As a consequence she gave birth to the twins Castor and Pollux, who were hatched from eggs.
This small erotic painting was clearly intended for a patron’s private enjoyment. The subject had been popular in art since the Renaissance: a painting of the subject by Michelangelo, of which Leda and the Swan (also in the Gallery’s collection) is a copy, was widely known through a sixteenth-century engraving.
The poor condition of the picture makes it difficult to be certain that Mola painted it, but its style is close to that of his mature works.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Leda and the Swan
- Artist
- Style of Pier Francesco Mola
- Artist dates
- 1612 - 1666
- Date made
- probably 1650-66
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 38.6 × 50.1 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Lord Farnborough, 1838
- Inventory number
- NG151.1
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Michael Levey, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1986Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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