The Abduction of Ganymede

c. 1530

Oil on canvas, 163.5 × 72 cm · Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga of Mantua as part of a series on Jupiter’s loves, and probably given by him to Emperor Charles V. Its tall, narrow shape matches its companion, Jupiter and Io.

A startled dog at the bottom looks up and leads the eye skyward.
Ganymede turns to face us while the eagle, wings cut off by the edge, carries him off.
Owned by Philip II after 1585 and bought by Emperor Rudolf II in 1605.

Zeus, as an eagle, carried the Trojan prince Ganymede up to Olympus to be cupbearer to the gods.

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain