Leda and the Swan

Michel Anguier

1654 · Limestone (pierre de Tonnerre) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This statue was probably made for Nicolas Fouquet, the finance minister of Louis XIV. It is believed to have belonged to a series of fourteen ancient gods and goddesses originally displayed in the gallery of Fouquet's Château de Saint-Mandé. 1970.140 combines a composition based upon a classical Leda, contemporary Parisian features, and reflections of Leonardo's Leda and the Swan and Rosso Fiorentino's Loss of Youth in the Gallery of François I at Fontainebleu.

Artist

Michel Anguier

Date

1654

Medium

Limestone (pierre de Tonnerre)

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation Inc. Gift, Charles Ulrick and Josephine Bay Foundation Inc. Gift, and Rogers Fund, 1970