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The Rape of the Sabines (Saudade)

© estate of Ceri Richards. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

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Notes

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The theme of the rape of the Sabine women, taken from Roman legend, was a recurring subject in academic history painting. The story of the abduction of the women of the Sabine tribe by the men of Rome in order to populate the city presented a theme through which Richards could further his interest in representing the cycle of nature. The theme of regeneration in the aftermath of an act of violation also seemed particularly apt in post-war Britain. In 1946, Richards had read an essay by Henri Matisse, describing Paul Cézanne's practice of drawing after the old masters. In his many representations of the subject, Richards has taken elements from Rubens' version of the Sabine legend hanging in the National Gallery, as well as other paintings on similar themes that he knew through reproductions.

Pallant House Gallery

Chichester

Title

The Rape of the Sabines (Saudade)

Date

1949

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 111.5 x W 142 cm

Accession number

CHCPH 0129

Acquisition method

bequeathed by Walter Hussey to Chichester District Council, 1985

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

Pallant House Gallery

9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1TJ England

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