The Abduction of Hippodameia

Last updated February 27, 2019

The Abduction of Hippodamia, (French : L'Enlèvement d'Hippodamie) is a work by the 19th-century French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, modeled c. 1877 and cast thereafter.^[1]

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) has largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor. He was one of the founding members of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was made an officer of the Legion of Honour.

The subject is from Greek mythology: During the wedding of Hippodamia and Pirithous, the barbaric centaurs who had been invited became wildly intoxicated, attacking the other guests and even the hosts. The centaur Eurytus attempted to carry off the bride, and a battle between the humans and the centaurs ensued.^[2]

Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' own cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

In Greek mythology, Hippodamia.

In Greek mythology, Pirithous was the King of the Lapiths of Larissa in Thessaly.

An earlier similar work, cast in silver, was commissioned by the Jockey Club to be a trophy at the Bois de Boulogne horse races in 1874. Because the trophy was contracted to be unique, the work was remodeled with slight changes to the positioning of Hippodamia and the forcefulness of the centaur.^[2]

The Jockey Club de Paris is a traditional gentlemen's club and is regarded as one of the most prestigious private clubs in Paris. It is best remembered as a gathering place of the elite of nineteenth-century French society. The club still exists at 2 rue Rabelais in Paris, and it hosts the International Federation of Racing Authorities.

The Bois de Boulogne is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Emperor Napoleon III to be turned into a public park in 1852.

The sculpture's theme of struggle between the rational and the bestial, expressed in a mythological setting, was a popular one and not unusual in 19th-century European art.^[1] Its execution sets it apart, however, and it is by some considered one of the finest examples of its kind in the late 19th century.^[2]

It is frequently supposed that Rodin, who was associated with Carrier-Belleuse's studio in the 1870s, contributed to the modeling; the general opinion is that, while the subject matter and the lines of Hippodamia exemplify Carrier-Belleuse's style, the expression and musculature of the centaur suggest Rodin.^[1]^[3]^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Notes

↑ However, according to some sources, Rodin may not have been working with Carrier-Belleuse at the time that The Abduction was designed and reworked.^[4]

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References

1 2 3 "The Abduction of Hippodamia". NGA Sculpture Galleries. National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
1 2 3 "Abduction of Hippodamie (L'Enlevement)". Sculpture & Decorative Arts. Hood Museum of Art. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
↑ Lampert, Catherine, ed. (1986). Rodin: Sculpture & Drawings. Yale University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-30003-832-3.
↑ Draper, James David (1981). European Terra Cottas from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. p. 28. ISBN 0-87099-265-1.

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[4] However, according to some sources, Rodin may not have been working with Carrier-Belleuse at the time that The Abduction was designed and reworked.^[4]

[NGA-1] 1 2 3 "The Abduction of Hippodamia". NGA Sculpture Galleries. National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 13 September 2013.

[Hood-2] 1 2 3 "Abduction of Hippodamie (L'Enlevement)". Sculpture & Decorative Arts. Hood Museum of Art. Retrieved 13 September 2013.

[Lampert-3] Lampert, Catherine, ed. (1986). Rodin: Sculpture & Drawings. Yale University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-30003-832-3.

[EuroTerraCotta-5] Draper, James David (1981). European Terra Cottas from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. p. 28. ISBN 0-87099-265-1.