After Vincent Malò, Abduction of the Sabine Women, 1630, Oil on Canvas

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The abduction of the sabine women

vincent malò (cambrai, c. 1595/1600 - rome, 1649) attributed to

oil on canvas (110 … Read more The abduction of the sabine women

vincent malò (cambrai, c. 1595/1600 - rome, 1649) attributed to

oil on canvas (110 x 193 cm. - framed 122 x 206 cm.)

the abduction of the sabine women is one of the most famous episodes in the legendary founding of rome by romulus (8th century bc), the city's first king, who ensured the survival of his people through the daring kidnapping of the women of sabine descent.

as soon as rome was founded, romulus realized that the city was populated almost exclusively by men (mostly adventurers or shepherds), and without women, the new community would have no descendants and would disappear within a generation.

he decided to resort to deception and force to resolve this problem: he organized great games in honor of the god consus (the consualia) and invited neighboring peoples, particularly the sabines, who flocked in large numbers, along with their wives and children. While the guests were distracted by the spectacle, young armed romans—at a prearranged signal from romulus—burst in and kidnapped the girls, forcibly chasing away their fathers and brothers.

our composition depicts this dramatic moment, the abduction of the sabine women, reflecting the full tension of the episode, with the roman soldiers intent on subjugating the women, who, desperate, try with all their might to escape.

at the center of this contortion of bodies, the figure of romulus emerges on horseback, wearing his legendary red cloak, grasping a woman: the noblewoman ersilia, who will become his wife, chosen for her nobility and wisdom, and from whose union prima and avilius will be born.

the painting, personalized by our artist, draws inspiration for some details from peter paul rubens's the abduction of the sabine women, now in the belfius collection (brussels), commissioned by philip iv of spain in 1639 and completed by the brussels painter gaspar de crayer.

the work presented here, in particular, clearly has a flemish influence and is attributable to vincent malò (cambrai, c. 1595/1600 - rome, 1649), a disciple of rubens in antwerp, who must therefore have been familiar with the flemish master's painting.

in this canvas, which demonstrates his ability to compose large figurative groups as well as his skill in depicting architectural settings, we can see malò's stylistic debt to his master.

we find some of malò's characteristic pictorial stylistic features, particularly in the facial features, such as the typical connotation of long-nosed faces, in the color choices, in the landscape setting, which are found in many of his works, and in his predilection for redundant and scenographic solutions.

the brown and earthy tones contrast with the pale, diaphanous flesh tones of the figures, and the sensitive atmospheric rendering of the landscape, with skies composed of blends of gray and blue, interrupted by the city architecture against which the figures stand out.

for comparison, we can mention four works by malò:
the massacre of the innocents, galleria di palazzo bianco, genoa
the abduction of the sabine women, sotherby's new york, may 22, 2019, lot 53
the massacre of the innocents, princeton university art museum, new jersey
the meeting of abraham and melchizedek, neumeister munich, july 5, 2000, lot 480

malò established himself as a successful painter in italy, where he presumably arrived around 1634, carrying out his he worked primarily in genoa, but we know that in the final phase of his life he moved to rome: the setting of the scene makes it plausible that our work may have been commissioned precisely during this period.

we see a beautiful glimpse of rome with st. Peter's basilica in the background: this setting adds a very interesting touch to our beautiful painting.

unlike the classic versions of this subject set in ancient rome (the famous one by pietro da cortona in the capitoline museums), in our case this interesting anachronism immediately catches the eye: despite being an event from the origins of rome and therefore placed in the 8th century bc, the artist transposes it to a baroque rome where the dome or structure of the vatican basilica stands out.

added to this is the fact that the artist also depicted the women in 17th-century clothing, making the mythical episode more relevant to his time.

this iconographic choice reflects the era's taste for architectural "caprices" or for celebrating the continuity between ancient rome and 17th-century papal rome.

additional information:

the painting is sold complete with a beautiful wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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