Leda and the Swan, c. 1858, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, French, 1824–1887, 16 1/2 x 21 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. ( x x cm), Terra cotta, France, 19th century, Based upon a chalk drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo (1475-1564), this terra cotta sculpture depicts Leda, the ancient Queen of Sparta, being seduced by the Greek god Zeus in the guise of a swan. Dating back to Greek mythology, Leda and the Swan offered artists an acceptable motif for erotic depiction. The French sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse chose this mythological subject to embody the sensuality


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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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