Freitag, 29.03.2024 10:38 Uhr

An erotic portrait of Leda discovered in Pompeii

Verantwortlicher Autor: Carlo Marino Rome/Pompeii, 20.11.2018, 09:46 Uhr
Nachricht/Bericht: +++ Kunst, Kultur und Musik +++ Bericht 5811x gelesen

Rome/Pompeii [ENA] An erotic and explicit portrait of Leda was discovered in Pompeii during restoration work as part of one of the EU-funded projects in the Regio V sector of the ancient Roman city. In Greek mythology, Leda was an Aetolian princess who became a Spartan queen. Her myth gave rise to the popular motif in Renaissance and later art of Leda and the Swan. Leda was the daughter of the Aetolian king Thestius hence she was also

called Thestias. She married king Tyndareus of Sparta and by him she was also mother of Helen of Troy. The fresco discovered in a small bedroom in Pompeii portrays the beautiful queen of Sparta with her body only partially covered by a golden cloth and seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan. The painting was discovered inside the same home on the eastern side of Via del Vesuvio where a fresco of Priapus weighing his genitalia was found last summer. The Priapus adorned the entrance hall of the home while the small bedroom where the portrait of Leda was unearthed is situated behind a large hall. Technicians are evaluating whether to move the fresco to a different site in order to protect it and organize an exhibition to the public.

It is a "unique and interesting" representation of the Greek myth, the director of the archaeological park of Pompeii, Massimo Osanna, told Italian Press Agency ANSA on Monday. The large fresco is unique because of "its particular iconography, which is so explicit and sensual", told Osanna. It’s an image never seen in the ancient Roman town, where the story from Greek mythology was very well known. The fresco is of very high quality and it is supposed to be inspired by the Leda of great Greek sculptor Timotheus from the 4th century BC.

Archaeologists and restorers are now cleaning the fresco with its astonishing colors: the deep red of the setting , the pink that makes the beauty of Leda touchy and the white of the swan seducing her as she looks on. The colors have been well-maintained from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. The home was very luxurious, full of high-impact décor, although its owner is still mysterious but probably the owner was a rich merchant, perhaps a former slave who wanted to elevate his social status through references to high-level cultural myths. In order to preserve the site, the other rooms of this rich home will not be brought to light.

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