In book one of his History of Rome, Livy (59 or 64 BC – 12 or 17 AD) recounts that the city was built by soldiers and a rabble of men seeking asylum in exchange for their work as laborers in its construction. Shortly after Rome was established, its founder, Romulus, sought to bring equilibrium to the city’s population, recognizing that his new settlement was “threatened to last for only one generation, since through the absence of women there was no hope of offspring, and there was no right of intermarriage with their neighbors.” He sent envoys to many of the surrounding communities, entreating them to grant the Romans this right of intermarriage. When these local tribes refused, Romulus “disguised his resentment” and invited his nearest neighbors, including the Sabines, to his new city for a festival. The celebrations were a ruse, and the Romans drove away the Sabine men and abducted their women. The Sabine men bided their time in carefully preparing their counter attack, during which time the Romans successfully persuaded the women to join their cause, offering them legal marriage and all the privileges of free citizens of Rome, which eventually led to “reconciliation and love.” When the Sabine tribe returned to wage bloody war on the Romans, Livy reports that the women threw themselves between the warring armies and their impassioned speeches led to a truce.
The Abduction of the Sabines was a popular subject in Girolamo del Pacchia’s time as a defining episode in the legendary history of Rome. The story of the foundation of the city was of specific importance to Sienese patrons who understood themselves to be descendants of the ancient Romans, since Siena was said to have been established by Aschius and Senius, the nephews of Romulus. The subject also afforded the artist an opportunity to display his virtuosity by depicting a mass of figures, some nude, engaged in dramatic struggle.
Because of its long, horizontal format, the painting was thought at one time to have been part of a cassone (a decorated chest used for storage in domestic settings, and traditionally gifted as part of a bride’s dowry), but its relatively large size suggests that it is more likely to have functioned as a spalliera, or decorative wall panel. Spalliere would often have been placed directly above cassoni or other items of furniture, or at head or shoulder height. The downward gaze of several figures in the crowd would have been complemented by a viewing position from below, and the downward motion of the Sabine woman in the foreground would have given the impression that she is falling toward the viewer.
We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.
Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.
Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.
Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..
Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.
Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.
Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)
All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com or call/text +41 79 265 8891.
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
