Rape of the Sabine Women

Schönfeldt was perhaps one of the most talented 17th-century German painters. He lived for a long time in Rome and Naples, creating many scenes based on legends from the history of Ancient Rome, such as this. When the city was founded it had only male inhabitants and neighbouring tribes refused to give their women in marriage. The Romans organized a feast to which they invited their neighbours, the Sabines, and at the height of the festivities abducted all the girls. In the foreground we can see the tumbled, intertwined figures of warriors and women, set against a pearly-grey fountain, its whimsical forms echoing the typical park architecture of the 17th century. The colours are light and festive, the forms are treated easily and freely, and small details are often only hinted at with a flexible stroke of the brush.