On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P00399
- Author
- Tintoretto, Jacopo Robusti
- Title
- The Rape of Helen
- Chronology
- Ca. 1578
- Technique
- Oil
- Support
- Canvas
- Measures
- 186 cm x 307 cm
- School
- Italian
- Theme
- Military
- On display
- Yes
- Procedence
- Royal Collection (Royal Alcázar Palace, Madrid, “salón de los espejos-cuartos principales”, 1701-1703, nº 12)
This work has stylistic and thematic similarities to those that make up the so-called Gonzaga Cycle or Fasti Gonzagheschi, painted by Tintoretto between 1578 and 1580, especially The Battle of Taro, with which it shares some characters. As in that cycle, there is a strong contrast between the foreground, with its marked chiaroscuro, and the brightly lit background, where the figures are practically disembodied, becoming pure arabesques. This work comes from the collection of Charles I of England.
















