Rape+of+the+Sabine+Women;+Giambologna,+1582


 * Conservation/Preservation**

Archives) ||
 * Creator || Giambologna ||
 * Title || Rape of the Sabine Women ||
 * Work Type || sculpture ||
 * Date || 1582 ||
 * Location || Loggia della Signoria (Florence, Italy) ||
 * Material || marble ||
 * ARTstor Collection || Italian and other European Art (Scala

**HISTORY:**

Completed in 1582, this statue depicts three people: the Sabine woman, the Roman, and the Sabine man. It was carved from one block of marble. On the side of the marble pedestal holding the statue is a bronze panel by Giambologna depicting the entire scene of the //Rape // (Avery, 1978).

Because of the positioning of the statue in the Loggia it is partially exposed to rain carried by the winds and is subject to degradation from pollutants and rainwater. Because of this, only the sheltered parts of the statue appear un-weathered. Because of the dirt that has collected, many cracks and fractures can be seen where the dirt has settled inside (Galardi, 2002).

In 1932, a report was written by Andrea Martini, a restorer for the statues in Loggia dei Lanzi, which stated that the statue should be moved inside. This request was ignored by the city of Florence. Again, in 1973 a report was conducted stating the same conclusion. It was not until this second report that the statue was placed indoors. A copy was created to depict the original plans of the Loggia, but the //Rape of the Sabine Women // remains in the Galleria dell' Academia (Avery, 1994).

**SOURCES:**

Avery, C. (1994). //Giambologna: the complete sculpture//. Italy: Phaidon Press.

Avery, C. (1978). //Giambologna, 1529-1608: sculptor to the medici//. The Council.

Galardi, G. (2002). //The statues of the loggia della signoria in florence: masterpieces restored//. Florence: Giunti Editore.

Leven, A. (1971). //Giambologna's conception of the rape of the sabine women: a study exhibition in the connoisseurship of bronze statuettes//. St. Louis: Washington University Gallery of Art.