The Rape of Ganymede
16th century
Medium
Lead
Dimensions
2 5/8 × 3 1/2 in. (6.7 × 8.9 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Erich Lederer Collection, Gift of Mrs. Erich Lederer, 1986
Accession Number
1986.319.50
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, *The Rape of Ganym* is a delicate 16th-century leadquette by Giovanni Bernardi Castel Bolognese, measuring just 2⅝ × 3½ inches. This Italian artist, renowned for his intricate medals and small reliefs, captures the classical myth from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*: the god Jupiter, disguised as an eagle,ducts the beautiful Trojan youth Ganymede to serve as cupbearer on Olympus. The tags—eagles and male nudes—highlight the dynamic composition, with the powerful bird clutching the lithe, nude figure in a moment of my...