Erotic Leda and Swan fresco discovered in ancient bedroom in Pompeii

Updated November 21, 2018 10:34:22

A "sensual" fresco depicting a woman having sex with a swan in a scene from classical mythology has been unearthed in a bedroom in Pompeii.

Key points:

  • Fresco seen as exceptional because of direction Leda is looking
  • Leda and Swan myth inspired Renaissance Italy artists
  • Fresco was found in what is believed was a rich merchant's home

The figure of the legendary Spartan queen Leda being impregnated by the Roman god Jupiter — in the form of a swan — was a fairly common home decoration theme in Pompeii, which was destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near present-day Naples.

But Pompeii archaeological park director Massimo Osanna praised this fresco as exceptional since it was painted to make it appear Leda was looking at whoever saw the fresco upon entering the bedroom.

"Leda watches the spectator with a sensuality that's absolutely pronounced," Mr Osanna told Italian news agency ANSA.

The swan's seduction of Leda was an influential subject in Renaissance Italy and inspired works by artists including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Mr Osanna noted the fresco's context in the Greek "myth of love, with an explicit sensuality in a bedroom where, obviously beside sleep, there could be other activities".

The fresco, with its colours still remarkably vivid, was discovered on Friday during ongoing work to consolidate the ancient city's structures after rains and wear and tear caused some ruins to collapse, the tourist site's officials said.

The bedroom is located near a corridor by the entranceway of an upscale domus, or home, where another splendid fresco was discovered earlier this year, said the archaeological park, which is part of the Italian Culture Ministry.

Leda is an important figure in Greek mythology.



Mr Osanna said one hypothesis is that the home's owner was a rich merchant who wanted to give the impression he was culturally advanced by incorporating myth-inspired frescoes.


Topics: history, community-and-society, art-history, religion-and-beliefs, ancient-religions, visual-art, archaeology, italy

First posted November 20, 2018 13:37:34