GIAMBOLOGNA, THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN

The rape of the sabine women-Upon entering the Accademia Gallery, the Giambologna plaster cast model is prominently displayed in the Hall of the Colossus. Giambologna used this model in the Accademia to make the marble sculpture in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

In the sixteenth century, Giambologna‘s work Abduction of a Sabine Woman or the Rape of the Sabine Women is recognized as one of the most important works of Italian art. He was, however, one of the lesser-known artists of the period. Giambologna, though he is not as well known as Michelangelo, made a profound and long-lasting impact on late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century European art.

The statue shows one man lifting a woman into the air while another crouches, with a twisting movement linking them both together.

Known as serpentinata ( serpentine figures), these figures express movement, aggression, fear, and struggle by moving upward in flame-like or twisting patterns. Giambologna didn’t provide a single view or point of view for the sculpture, which enables the viewer to marvel at the entire drama from all sides. He did this to accentuate the sense of frenzy in work.