Placido Costanzi (1702 – 1759), The Rape of the Sabine Women

Placido Costanzi (Rome, 1702 – 1759)

The Rape of the Sabine Women

Oil on canvas, 49,5 x 66,5 cm – with frame, 65,5 x 82

The painting vividly depicts the famous episode of the Rape of the Sabine Women, the culminating moment of Roman legend in which Romulus's soldiers kidnap the young Sabine women during a celebration to ensure the nascent people's lineage. At the center of the scene, a soldier lifts a young girl in his arms, her face turned skyward and her right arm raised in a desperate gesture of supplication, while other figures, in the background and to the sides, struggle between flight and resignation, in a whirlwind of bodies and draperies. On the left, on a pedestal, sits King Romulus, regal and detached, observing the scene as the raid unfolds around him. This version is directly comparable to another autograph canvas by Placido Costanzi, with an identical subject and composition, sold at auction at Christie's in 2008: the two works share the same dimensions, the scenic layout, the arrangement of the main figures and the dramatic intensity of the narrative, confirming the existence of a recurring version of the theme in the artist's production, probably replicated to satisfy different commissions.

The composition seems to draw inspiration from Pietro da Cortona's famous Rape of the Sabine Women, now preserved in the Pinacoteca Capitolina in Rome. From this work, Costanzi takes in particular the figure of the Sabine woman with her arm raised at the center of the scene, an iconographic element that becomes the emotional and visual fulcrum of the entire composition, recalling the solemn Baroque theatricality of the 17th-century master, albeit filtered through a more fluid, 18th-century pictorial sensibility.

Placido Costanzi was born in Rome to Giovanni and Costanza Anguilla, into a family of gem makers, a trade also followed by his brothers Tommaso and Carlo. He trained under the Trevisani family and later under Benedetto Luti, developing an elegant and luminous style similar to that of his contemporary Sebastiano Conca. By 1724, he had already created decorations, now lost, for Cardinals Alberoni and Acquaviva d'Aragona, and was also active early in Tuscany, sending works to Lima and France. He painted numerous works for Roman churches, including the Resurrection of Tabitha for Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, and frescoes for San Gregorio al Celio, Santa Maria in Campo Marzio, and the church of San Pietro Apostolo in Castel San Pietro. From 1725, he collaborated with Jan Frans van Bloemen, known as Orizzonte, incorporating figures into his landscapes. He entered the Congregation of the Virtuosi al Pantheon and in 1741 the Accademia di San Luca, of which he became Prince in 1758. He was also appreciated abroad, working for Spain, England, France and Germany.

Costanzi was an artist capable of moving with remarkable skill across different genres of painting, from works of religious inspiration to those dedicated to historical and mythological themes. He successfully carved out a space within Roman Arcadian classicism with a personal touch and captivating touch, developing over time a balanced, elegant, and at the same time rigorous style. Among his works on mythological subjects are the Foundation of the City of Alexandria, now at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, housed at the Palazzo Labia in Venice, which demonstrate his ability to combine historical narrative, mythological invention, and compositional refinement—qualities fully evident in this painting as well.

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