Rape of a Sabine

Giambologna’s monumental marble Rape of a Sabine (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence) features three intertwined figures that allow no single dominant viewpoint. He claimed that he had created it solely to “demonstrate the excellence of his art,” and it was, in fact, immediately celebrated as his crowning achievement. Bronze reductions, such as this early example from the master’s workshop, spread the statue’s fame. Giambologna invented this unprecedented figure group by fashioning small wax and clay models that he rotated on his work stand to judge the composition from every angle.