Leda with the swan
Leda, the daughter of the king of Aitolien, Thestios, copulating with Zeus in the shape of a swan, is depicted in this small round relief. From this coitus developed the Dioscuri Kastor and Pollux as well as the most beautiful and sought-after woman of mythical antiquity, Helena. Her kidnapping from Paris to Troy was later to start the Trojan War.
Many of the following artists have been inspired by the motif Leda with Swan in their works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Correggio, Veronese, Tintoretto, L. Silvestre d. J., Cézanne, to name but the more famous.
National Archaeological Museum Athens, 450 BC, reproduction reduced. Relief is provided with a suspension device.
