The Rape of Ganymede

1769/71

Salomon Gessner

Associated Names
Salomon Gessner

Artist, Swiss, 1730 - 1788

The image shows a person standing upright in the center, their back slightly turned towards the viewer. They have short, curly hair, distinct facial features, and are holding a staff in their left hand. The person is depicted nude with a cloth draped over their left shoulder. A large bird is perched on their shoulders, with one wing extended. The background shows a pastoral landscape with hills, trees, a small herd of grazing sheep on the left, and a building with columns in the distance under a cloudy sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 22 x 16.9 cm (8 11/16 x 6 5/8 in.)
    sheet: 27.8 x 38.4 cm (10 15/16 x 15 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1999.100.10

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Leemann-Van Elck 1930, no. 28

  • Series Title

    Idyllic Landscapes with Mythological Figures, plate 6

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Christopher Mendez, London); purchased 1999 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1930

  • Leemann-Van Elck, Paul. Salomon Gessner: Dichter, Maler und Radierer, 1730-1788. Zurich, 1930.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: S. Gessner inv. et f.; lower right in plate: 6.; by later hand, center left in graphite: Suite complete de 10 gravures / 1769 - 71 / voir Huber et Rost / Manuel de Curieux II 193; by later hand, upper right in graphite: (27/10p)

Wikidata ID

Q75430139

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