Housed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, this 1618 mythological painting concerns the rape of the daughters of King Leucippus of Messene by the demigods Castor and Pollux, as related by ancient poets such as Theocritus and Ovid. The powerful image once again indicates Rubens’ fascination for classical sculpture — this time inspired by Giovanni Bologna’s statue group The Rape of the Sabines, located in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. The famous Mannerist sculpture provides multiple viewpoints, presenting the scene from Roman legend with numerous aspects. Rubens emulates this diversity of expression by the use of contrasting hues and textures, as the flesh of male and female figures are juxtaposed strikingly with the red and gold drapery and the contrasting tones of the horses.
Hilaeira is raised upward, her eyes looking heavenwards, as a saint would appear in ecstasy in a religious painting, mirroring the form of Michelangelo’s Leda. Once again the twisted forms of the body indicate the influence of the Laocoön statue group, which would influence so many of Rubens’ secular and sacred works. The dramatic range of gestures and the towering horse are heightened by the unusually low vantage point, while most of the backdrop is dominated by the sky. Mysteriously, a cupid holds the horse’s reins, while glimpsing mischievously out of the canvas, perhaps signalling the eventual fate of the daughters, who were to be happily married to the demi-gods.