(Vienna 1778–1841) The Abduction of Ganymede, signed and dated S. von Perger 1832, oil on canvas, 50 x 40.5 cm, framed, damaged, losses, (Rei)

In Ovid’s Metamorphosis we read that Zeus, in love with the young Ganymede, takes on the form of an eagle and abducts him, carrying him off to Mount Olympus. Against Hera’s wishes, Zeus makes Ganymede cup-bearer to the gods, replacing Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, in this function. As the most beautiful of mortals, Ganymede becomes the favourite of the gods. Artists have been fascinated with his myth for centuries. Most representations of the myth show Ganymede as a naked boy with long blonde locks, at the moment in which boy and animal lift off into the air. The dark, powerful eagle clasps the youngster with his broad wings in an almost tender manner. In some versions Ganymede resists, in others he yields to his fate. In others again, such as the work here, we can read in the boy’s face a certain acceptance of his abduction by Zeus.

Sigmund Ferdinand Ritter von Perger
was a historical and portrait painter. He attended the Vienna Academy, worked as a draughtsman at Vienna’s porcelain manufactory from 1791 to 1808, as court animal painter from 1817, and from 1825 to 1841 as second curator at the Belvedere gallery. (Cf. Heinrich Fuchs, Die österreichischen Maler des 19. Jahrhunderts, Vienna 1973, Vol. 3, p. K79)