Ganymede in the Renaissance : homosexuality in art and society

James M. Saslow

According to classical mythology, the beautiful Trojan boy Ganymede was abducted by Jupiter to serve as his cupbearer and beloved. In Italian art and literature from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, Ganymede became a popular metaphor for emotional and sexual relations between men and youths. This book examines images of Ganymede created by famous artists of the period and integrates them with contemporary literary texts, social accounts, and legal documents to reflect not only the complex social history of homosexuality but also Renaissance attitudes about sexuality, gender, and marriage.