''The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus'' is a 1618 painting by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

and

Jan Wildens Jan Wildens (1586 in Antwerp – 16 October 1653 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman specializing in landscapes. His Realist landscapes show an eye for detail and have a serene character. He was a regular collaborator with Rube ...

. It is displayed at the

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pinak ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

History

The painting was bought in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1716 by

Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in Low German, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Elector Palatine (1690–1716), Duke of Palatinate-Neuburg, Neuburg (1690–1716), ...

. Initially sent to

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, by 1805/06 it had reached Munich. The landscape specialist Jan Wildens painted the landscape.

Description

The painting depicts the mortal Castor and the immortal Pollux abducting Phoebe and

Hilaeira In Greek mythology, Hilaera (Ancient Greek: Ἱλάειρα; also Ilaeira) was a Messenian princess. Family Hilaera was a daughter of Leucippus and Philodice, daughter of Inachus. She and her sister Phoebe are commonly referred to as Leucippi ...

, daughters of

Leucippus of Messenia In Greek mythology, Leucippus (Ancient Greek: Λεύκιππος ''Leukippos'') was a Messenian prince. The Boeotian town of Leuctra is said to have derived its name from him. Family Leucippus was the son of Gorgophone and Perieres and brothe ...

. Castor the horse-tamer is recognisable from his armour, whilst Pollux the boxer is shown with a bare and free upper body. They are also distinguished by their horses—Castor's is well-behaved and supported by a

putto A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...

, whereas Pollux's is rearing. The putto's black wing shows the twins' ultimate fate. In the painting, Phoebe and Hilaeira do not have distinguishing attributes. From the literature on Greek myths, however, we learn that Phoebe bore a son, Mnesleos, to Pollux, and Hilaeira bore a son, Anogon, to Castor. It would seem therefore, from the directions of the twins' fixed and admiring stares, that the daughter in the lower position, with her back to us, is Phoebe, and the daughter in the upper position, displaying a frontal view, is Hilaeira.

Bibliography

*Alte Pinakothek-Ausgewählte Werke; ditor: Bayerischen Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Authors: Marcus Dekiert, Nina Schleif München; Pinakothek-DuMont, 2005, , *50 Klassiker: Gemälde, H. Johannsen, Gerstenberg, 2001, .

External links

Raub der Töchter des Leukippos
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek München {{DEFAULTSORT:Rape of the Daughters of Leucippos, The 1618 paintings Mythological paintings by Peter Paul Rubens Collection of the Alte Pinakothek Paintings depicting Greek myths Horses in art Nude art