The Abduction of Ganymede

Image credit: National Trust Images

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According to classical mythology, and told in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', Zeus (or Jupiter) falls in love with the mortal Ganymede. He transforms himself into a giant eagle and bears Ganymede aloft whilst his dog and fellow shepherd, possibly his father Tros, leap to reach up to him.

Bottalla studied painting in Rome and one of his patrons there gave him the flattering nickname 'il Raffaellino' (little Raphael). He moved to Genoa in the early 1640s and began work on the monochrome frescoes in the Palazzo Ayrolo Negrone, but died before finishing them.

This work is part of a series painted in oil and distemper, known in Genoa as 'succhi d'erbe' (juices of plants), in order to look like a tapestry. According to records, the paintings were bought for Kingston Lacy from a Palazzo Cambiaso in Genoa by William Bankes (1786–1855) as works by Annibale Carracci, and Bankes regarded them as his finest acquisitions.

National Trust, Kingston Lacy

Wimborne Minster

Title

The Abduction of Ganymede

Medium

distemper on herringbone canvas

Measurements

H 366 x W 72.5 cm

Accession number

1257080.3

Acquisition method

bequeathed by Ralph Bankes, 1981

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

National Trust, Kingston Lacy

Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 4EA England

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