Leda and the Swan

Leda and the Swan, Cesare SestoThe myth of Leda and the Swan is disturbing. Zeus takes the form of a swan and rapes Leda on the same night she sleeps with her husband. Leda then give birth to four children; two by her husband and two by Zeus hatched from eggs. Leda and the Swan is a common motif in Italian Renaissance art, but it is always painted or sculpted as a highly erotic encounter.