FRANCO, Battista
(b. ca. 1510, Venezia, d. 1561, Venezia)

The Battle of Montemurlo and the Rape of Ganymede

1537-41
Oil on wood, 137 x 173 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

Jupiter, as an eagle, carries off the beautiful boy Ganymede, while a battle rages below. Cosimo de' Medici's guests would have identified the pair as the young duke Cosimo and the emperor Charles V, whose aid led to the victory at Montemurlo that confirmed Cosimo's power. A drawing by Michelangelo influenced Franco, among other artists.




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