Marble Figurine of Leda Avoiding the Swan

Illustration

Nathalie Choubineh
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published on 19 September 2024
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Marble Figurine of Leda Avoiding the Swan Download Full Size Image

Attic table support, depicting Leda avoiding the swan, c. before 250 CE.

Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Founded c. 316 BCE and located at the heart of the Thermaic Gulf in the Aegean, the emporium city of Thessaloniki might have been a marriage gift of its founder, Cassander of Macedon (r. 305-297 BCE) to his new bride, Thessalonike (c. 345-295 BCE). The city lived on as a commercial hub, a mega-market of luxury goods – particularly clothes, jewellery, and perfume – and a cultural point of attraction throughout the Macedonian, Roman, Slavic, and Ottoman eras, and beyond.

The trapezophoron (table support) in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki was shaped to hold a marble tabletop that could be locked in when the rod attached to its underneath was fixed around the groove on the top of the column. Leda, an Aetolian princess married to King Tyndareus of Sparta, is depicted here in her palatial chambers or colonnades when Zeus, disguised as a swan, landed to chase her. In an alarming gesture resembling fighting off a storm, Leda struggles desperately to escape the whirling wing of the swan. This exciting sculpture of a famous myth about the erotic mingling of gods with humans was a spectacular part of a piece of fine furniture coming all the way from Attica within the hoards of extravagant trading items that incessantly flowed through Thessaloniki.

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About the Author

Nathalie Choubineh
Nathalie is a translator and independent researcher of dance in the ancient world with a focus on Ancient Greece and the Near East. She has published works in ancient dance, ethnomusicology, and literature. She loves learning and sharing knowledge.

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APA Style

Choubineh, N. (2024, September 19). Marble Figurine of Leda Avoiding the Swan. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19447/marble-figurine-of-leda-avoiding-the-swan/

Chicago Style

Choubineh, Nathalie. "Marble Figurine of Leda Avoiding the Swan." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 19, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19447/marble-figurine-of-leda-avoiding-the-swan/.

MLA Style

Choubineh, Nathalie. "Marble Figurine of Leda Avoiding the Swan." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 19 Sep 2024. Web. 20 Sep 2024.

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