Artistic Representations
During the Renaissance the subject was popular as a story symbolising the central importance of marriage for the continuity of families and cultures. It was also a rare example of a battle subject, a highly popular genre, which allowed the artist to demonstrate his virtuosity in the depiction of female as well as male figures in extreme poses, with the added advantages of a titillating sexual theme. As such it was depicted regularly on 15th-century Italian cassoni, and later in larger paintings. A comparable opportunity drawn from the New Testament was afforded by the theme of the Massacre of the Innocents.
Important treatments of the subject include:
Read more about this topic: The Rape Of The Sabine Women
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“Surely knowledge of the natural world, knowledge of the human condition, knowledge of the nature and dynamics of society, knowledge of the past so that one may use it in experiencing the present and aspiring to the future—all of these, it would seem reasonable to suppose, are essential to an educated man. To these must be added another—knowledge of the products of our artistic heritage that mark the history of our esthetic wonder and delight.”
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