The theatrical gestures of the Sabine women,  concentrated and noble faces of their oppressors are somehow well-known to us. They are a testimony of the fact that the creator of the painting, Pietro da Cortona, used in its creation the poses and movements taken from the greatest of the masters – Raphael. It should come as no surprise that he searched for inspiration, he was just 35 years old and was only trying his hand at the multi-figure compositions which he created for his first significant patron Marcello Sacchetti – the descendant of a wealthy Florentine family, which since the beginning of the XVII century had settled in Rome. Marcello, known for composing poems, was a sort of a refined collector, who supported the artists he championed not only financially but also with ideas. He was the one who directed da Cortona’s attention towards the beauty of the art of Raphael, he supplied him with the multi-figure themes taken from either the history of Rome or the Old Testament. He and his brother Giulio also brought him to the attention of the then greatest patron of art – Pope Urban VIII, under whose auspices his works fully developed.

The scene created by da Cortona was set with lush greenery an ancient scenery in the background which was to refer to the glorious beginnings of Rome. Temples, statues of gods, as well as the armor in which Romans were dressed, remind us of their virtues – piousness, devotion to the tradition of their ancestors and bravery. But also of their interest in art and architecture. In this context, the devious act which they are performing and which takes place as if by divine permission is not something that stains their honor, but in a pragmatic way is part of the story of the future might. Let us remind ourselves of this story, to which the painter refers and which we know from Plutarch’s writings.

In the VIII century B.C., on Palatine Hill the first settlement was created surrounded by an embankment and a palisade. As a legend says, it was inhabited by people who were brutal, wont to pillage and drink and in addition attacked their neighbors and robbed them of all they had. Its infamy was so widespread that no nation neighboring the Romans had wanted to give them their daughters to marry. Thus they decided to resort to trickery. During a feast, which they hosted for their unsuspecting neighbors they kidnapped their daughters and wives, for which their neighbors swore revenge. Among the kidnapped it was the Sabine women whom exhibited the most exceptional beauty. As the Sabines prepared their revenge, they spend a long time gathering their forces and when they finally appeared at the city gates challenging the Romans to a battle and blood was spilled, the kidnapped daughters and wives with tears in their eyes and children in their arms begged them to stop the fighting, apparently praising the sexual drive and other virtues of their new husbands. Judging this whole event from the point of view of contemporary morality it is difficult to applaud the Romans’ deed, however the simple fact that this story is one of the establishing myths of Rome may testify to the conviction that all that ends well finds justification even rape and trickery. Even more so because it will be the descendants of the kidnappers and the kidnapped who would create the foundation of the future might of Rome, while thanks to their courage and the virtue of the Sabine women they will conquer the whole world. One more thing that should be mentioned is that according to the legend after the intervention of the women the Romans allied themselves with the Sabines, creating a single state, which was ruled jointly by Romulus and the king of the Sabines – Titus Tatius. However, as it would turn out, not for long.

Pietro da Cortona, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1629, 280 x 426 cm, Musei Capitolini – Pinacoteca Capitolina