Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna

The Rape of the Sabine Women is a masterpiece by Giambologna, the official sculptor of the Medici family, who commissioned him this imposing statue that still stands in the Loggia della Signoria (or Loggia dei Lanzi), in Piazza della Signoria.

The sculpture represents a young man who raises a girl in his arms, but during his act the man is blocked by an elder who is between his legs. Due to these three figures, the statue is also known as the three ages of man.

The work, which reaches 4 meters in height, was sculpted by the artist from a single block of marble in 1583. This masterpiece of Italian Mannerism can also boast of being the first statue in European sculptural history that can be equally admired from all sides: the viewer can enjoy its beauty from multiple angles, an effect is given by the spiral pattern of the characters and by the irregularity between large masses and voids.

On the base there is a bronze plate with the scene of the abduction, represented in different dimensions with different depths of relief, each combining the figures in a different way.

The plaster model used by Giambologna to create this artwork can be seen at the Galleria dell'Accademia.