The Abduction of the Sabine Women
Luca Giordano·c. 1675
Historical Context
The Abduction of the Sabine Women from the founding myths of Rome — when Romulus and his followers seized women from the neighboring Sabine tribe to provide wives for their new city — was among the most dramatically violent subjects in classical mythology, and Luca Giordano's circa-1675 version at the Art Institute of Chicago is one of his most ambitious treatments of it. Giordano's nickname 'Luca fa presto' (Luca works fast) referred to his extraordinary speed: he could complete large canvases in a single day, and his total output of paintings, frescoes, and drawings was among the largest in the history of Western art. Born in Naples in 1634, he trained under Jusepe de Ribera before undertaking extended travels through Venice, Rome, and Florence that gave him direct knowledge of the major Italian painting traditions. By 1675, when this work was painted, he was already the most sought-after painter in Italy, capable of synthesizing influences from Ribera's dark naturalism to Titian's Venetian colorism and Pietro da Cortona's Roman Baroque grandeur into a brilliant personal style. The Art Institute of Chicago holds this as an outstanding example of his mid-career Neapolitan work.
Technical Analysis
Giordano's characteristically rapid execution is evident in the sweeping, energetic brushwork that animates the tumultuous composition. The warm, Venetian-influenced palette and dramatic diagonal movements create a sense of chaotic violence balanced by compositional rhythm.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the sweeping, energetic brushwork that animates the tumultuous composition — Giordano's legendary speed ('Luca fa presto') is visible in the confidence and fluidity of every stroke.
- ◆Look at the warm Venetian-influenced palette: rich ochres and warm flesh tones reflect Giordano's deep study of Titian and Veronese.
- ◆Find the chaotic energy of interlocking bodies: Giordano creates a vortex of struggling figures where Roman soldiers seize Sabine women in violent motion.
- ◆Observe the dramatic diagonal movements through the composition — Giordano learned from Pietro da Cortona's Roman Baroque dynamism how to create continuous motion across a large canvas.
Provenance
Purchased in the early twentieth century by Georges de Branconier, Brussels [letter from Yvan Cruysmans, dated July 24, 1991, in curatorial file]; Madame Georges de Braconier (née Comtesse d’Hemricourt), Brussels, until 1950s [see letter cited above]; Jean Cruysmans (died 1970), Brussels [see letter cited above]; Cruysmans family, Brussels [see letter cited above]; offered for sale, Sotheby’s, London, March 19, 1975, lot 76; bought in; reoffered Sotheby’s, London, May 12, 1976, lot 102; Alfredo and Raquel Helegua, Washington; sold to the Art Institute, 1991.
