The Rape of Polyxena
Artistafter
Pio Fedi
(Italian, 1816 – 1892)
Dateearly 20th century
MediumStone
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN5134
This stone sculpture is a liberal interpretation of Pio Fedi’s <i>Rape of Polyxena</i>. The story, mentioned by multiple ancient authors, relates how, with the end of the Trojan War, Pyrrhus, son of the slain Achilles, avenged his father by sacrificing the Trojan king’s daughter Polyxena. Here, Pyrrhus is shown brandishing a sword as he wrestles Polyxena away from her pleading mother, Hecuba. When it was completed in 1865, Fedi’s work was placed in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, the only “modern” sculpture alongside ancient and Renaissance masterpieces.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Courtyard
