After Giambologna (Flemish 1529-1608 ). A 19th century bronze group of the Rape of the Sabine Women

After Giambologna (Flemish 1529-1608 ). A 19th century bronze group of the Rape of the Sabine Women, dramatically modelled with three figures, the base signed 'J de Bologne', 114cm high.

Provenance:

Sotheby's, 19th & 20th Century Sculpture, 4th June 1998, lot 49.

The collection of Roy Merley.

The original marble by Giambologna created between 1581 and 1583 can be found in the Loggia dei Lanzi in the Piazza della Signoria, Florence. The Rape of the Sabine women was a popular subject in art, particularly in the Renaissance period, because it gave artists the opportunity to depict complex scenes with numerous figures in action. It recalls the story, recounted by Livy and Plutarch, of the early days of Rome when, to ensure the survival of the community, Romulus organised a festival to which he invited inhabitants of neighbouring settlements including the Sabines. At a pre-arranged signal the Roman soldiers carried off the unmarried Sabine women.