Leda and the Swan and Her Children
Dateca. 1540
Maker
Vincent Sellaer
Flemish, Mechelen, active mid-16th century
Label TextIn Greek myths, shape-shifting gods often assumed the bodies of animals in their contact with humans. Jupiter came to Leda, queen of Sparta, in the form of a swan. The result of their union were three children hatched from eggs-the twins Castor and Pollux, and Helen of Troy. This strange family portrait has a combination of attractive and unsettling qualities that are typical of Mannerism--gorgeous textures and colors, crossing and intertwining forms, and Leda's icy detachment.
Object number2004.31
Credit LineGift of Hester Diamond in honor of Chiyo Ishikawa on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions43 1/2 x 35 1/16 in. (110.5 x 89cm)
MediumOil on wood panel
Willem Claesz. Heda
1636
Object number: 2022.20
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