Rape of the Sabine Women
Giambologna's masterpiece in the Loggia della Signoria in Florence
The Rape of the Sabine Women is a masterpiece by Giambologna, the official sculptor of the Medici family, who commissioned this imposing statue that still stands in the Loggia della Signoria. The work, which reaches 4 meters in height, was sculpted by the artist from a single block of marble in 1583.
The sculpture represents a young man who raises a girl in his arms, but during his act the man is blocked by an elder who is between his legs. Due to these three figures, the statue is also known as the three ages of man.
The sculpture, a masterpiece of Italian Mannerism, can also boast of being the first with different points of view: the viewer can enjoy its beauty from multiple angles. The effect is given by the spiral pattern of the characters and by the irregularity between large masses and voids.
On the base there is a bronze plate with the scene of the abduction, represented in different dimensions with different depths of relief, each combining the figures in a different way.
