This morning, I came across a breathtaking 1833 drawing of a fresco of Leda and the Swan from the House of the Colored Capitals by Wilhelm Zahn. Pompeiiinpictures had a drawing and a painting of the fresco by Giiuseppe Marsigli, too, but Zahn's drawing seemed more elegant of this fresco that is now badly deteriorated. Hopefully, Pompeii restorationists will be able to better preserve the painting of Leda and the Swan recently uncovered in Regio V 6,12, dubbed
the House of Leda.
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| Leda and the Swan from the House of the Colored Capitals VII 4,31-51 by Wilhelm Zahn, 1833. |
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| House of the Colored Capitals VII 4,31-51 Pompeii 1830s copy of Leda and the Swan from east wall of apsidal exedra by Giuseppe Marsigli |
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| House of the Colored Capitals VII 4,31-51 Pompeii 1835 drawing of Leda and the Swan from east wall of apsidal exedra (pompeiiinpictures plan Room 29) by Giuseppe Marsigli |
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| House of the Colored Capitals VII 4,31-51 Pompeii remains of wall painting of Leda and the Swan circa 2009 courtesy of pompeiiinpictures (cropped and perspective adjusted). |
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| Recently uncovered House of Leda V 6,12 2020 East wall of cubiculum, painting of Leda and the Swan courtesy of Johannes Eber |
While Homer does not explicitly reference the Leda and the Swan myth, his works provide a backdrop for many characters associated with it, such as Helen of Troy. The story of Leda and the Swan is first depicted in archaic Greek art and literature, although much of the early textual evidence has been lost. Poets like Pindar and later Hellenistic writers allude to it, however. Of course, in the first century CE, those who read Ovid's Metamorphoses, would have been quite familiar with it as Leda and the Swan was included as an example of transformation. I always thought of these images as scenes of seduction, though, so I was surprised to read that in some versions of the myth Zeus (as the swan) attacked Leda.
In Pompeii, the myth is depicted in only twelve residences (including the latest discovery) and of those, eight would be considered elite residences and the remaining four would be categorized as upper middle class. So, the myth appears to be most familiar to those with more education (or leisure time for reading) than working-class residents in the city.
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