Leda

Georg Kaspar von Prenner

Basic information

ID: Ж-42
Author: Georg Kaspar von Prenner
Name: Leda
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 99 x 72

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: mythological painting
Provenance: the Goluchowski collection
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Georg Kaspar von Prenner
Artist's lifetime: 1720–1766
Country: Austria
Biography: Georg Kaspar von Prenner (1720–1766) was an Austrian artist and copper engraver. He was born in Vienna into the family of Anton Josef von Prenner, a court artist for the imperial family. He received the foundations of his professional education in his father's workshop. From 1742 to 1745, he studied and worked in Rome, and from 1750 to 1755, he worked in Saint Petersburg at the court of Empress Elizabeth. In 1762, he returned to Rome and passed away shortly after that. He primarily created works on religious and mythological themes inspired by the works of Italian masters of the High Renaissance and Mannerism, particularly Annibale and Agostino Carracci.

Object description

The work depicts a mythological scene of Leda being seduced by Zeus (Jupiter), who has transformed into a swan. The myth recounts that Zeus, enchanted by Leda's beauty, appeared before her as a swan while she was bathing. As a result of this encounter, Pollux and Helen were born. The artist, following Correggio, depicts the composition in three scenes, with their first meeting on the right. The main scene is positioned in the centre, while the third scene above it on the right shows Leda getting dressed. Images of the myth of Leda became a common theme in paintings from the 16th century and remained popular in subsequent eras.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Leda

Other