Hans Sebald BehamGerman, 1500–1550Leda and the Swan
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Leda and the Swan” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Disguised as a swan (made large, to indicate divinity), the Greek god Zeus sets his lecherous sights on Leda, wife of Sparta’s King Tyndareus. Hidden by the swan’s wings, she welcomes the seduction, caressing the bird’s suggestive neck and, in a very human detail, raising her heels in excitement. Her compressed form, monumental even in this tiny space, is ready to unfold. The union produced the mythical Castor, Pollux, Helen of Troy, and Clytemnestra.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2015.93.37
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
