Ganymede Waters Zeus in Eagle Form
This statue was created by the artist Bertel Thorvaldsen around 1800 CE and depicts the young Ganymede filling a bowl for Zeus. One thing that particularly stands out about this piece is how Ganymede is depicted spending time with, and even tending the cup of the king of gods while he is still in bird form. In most translations and depictions Ganymede is described as being 'snatched' which gives the reader the impression of the startling and unexpected abduction, as opposed to this depiction where the young man appears to be bonding with the eagle before being taken away to Olympus. |
The Rape of Ganymede
This painting was created years before the statue, in 1635 by the artist Rembrant and shows the very childlike Ganymede in a state of absolute terror as he is grabbed by the god. |
The two of this images together juxtapose the ideas and views of Ganymede's relationship with Zeus. While Thorvaldsen's sculpture shows a young man tending to the eagle, Rembrant's painting shows a young child being carried off by a dark bird. The emotions of both of them are strikingly different, especially since they are both interpretations of the same story. On the left we have a calm, almost caring sense from the eagle and young man (Thorvaldsen) while on the left we can see the terror of the young child, his face contorted in tears and if you look closely you can see that he is wetting himself in fear. In my opinion Thorvaldsen's depiction would have been closer to what Ovid was describing, although the snatching up of the young man may have been much more sudden that the statue suggests. The main reason for this would be the age of Ganymede, he is considered to be a young man, and in some cases a prince. In ancient Rome it wasn't uncommon for older men to have young male lovers who would be in their teens, which leads me to believe that Ganymede himself would have been in his teens. A roughly kindergarten aged Ganymede doesn't fit this model of the mentor with his young lover, however I have read retellings of this myth where the Trojan prince is a baby and is raised by Zeus on Olympus before becoming a cup-bearer.
The Death of Hyacinthus
This painting done by Benjamin West in 1771 shows Apollo, his head wreathed by golden rays, supporting the body of his now dead lover, while the discus that killed him lays by their feet. In the upper corner of the painting we see a pair of cherub-like beings looking on in tears. Given the date of this painting the two winged babies appear similar to the young angels that are often seen around the edges and in the corners of renascence paintings. This baby-like winged creature, often depicted with a bow and quiver of arrows is one of the biggest influences on our modern day Cupid, especially since in depictions of Greek or Roman myths they are often added in around a pair of lovers, even though Cupid actually had an age and appearance similar to Apollo's by Ovid's accounts. |
Again you can look at the differences between the three different depictions of the two mortals, If you look carefully even though Thorvaldsen's Ganymede and West's Hyacinthus are roughly the same age, Hyacinthus appears more fit, with muscles added along his abdomen and legs. This serves to add the youthful look of the young man, who died while participating in a game with Apollo.