Mar 11, 2025
Boreas Abducts Oreithyia
Artist: Francesco Solimena (Italian, 1657-1747)
Date: Before 1729
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria
Description
Boreas, the god of the stormy north wind, loved the Athenian princess Oreithyia. Taking advantage of his natural powers, he forcibly abducted her after the Athenians opposed a marital union with the wild god. The picture was likely a direct commission from Emperor Charles VI. At that time the Kingdom of Naples was ruled by Austria, and Solimena was indisputably the leading painter of the Neapolitan school.
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