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Rape of the Sabine Women

John Clem Clarke

Artwork Details

Rape of the Sabine Women
circa 1970-1973
John Clem Clarke
lithograph on paper
25 3/4 x 22 3/8 in. (65.41 x 56.83 cm); ; ;36 1/8 in x 29 in (91.76 cm x 73.66 cm)
Museum Purchase
1973/1.800

Description

Subject Matter:

Rape of the Sabine Women echoes the composition of Giambologna's sculpture titled Rape of the Sabines. Clarke, who made a career of recasting classical images by earlier artists in contemporary garb and style, also did a reproduction of Poussin's Rape of the Sabine Women. This story from the legendary history of Rome, tells of the first generation of Roman men who, threatened by a severe gender ratio imbalance, acquired wives for themselves from the neighboring Sabine families recounted in Livy and Plutarch. 

Physical Description:

This print shows three figures in a field set against a dark and smoky background. Two men are struggling for control of a struggling naked woman draped over the shoulder of one of the men. 

Usage Rights:

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