Abduction of the Sabine women, ca. 1680 – 1690

About the Work

The Romans resorted to violence to address the shortage of women that plagued early Rome. They invited the neighbouring peoples—among them the Sabines—to a festival and raped their women. The dynamic composition depicts the victims’ desperate resistance attempts before a classical backdrop. Paolo de Matteis heightened the drama with the aid of rapid, decisive pen strokes and flickering light-dark contrasts.