Ganymede1.0112_Thorvaldsen1

Full-body marble statue of Ganymede, pouring liquid from an amphora onto his head while holding a cup

Why so many Ganymedes? —— Thorvaldsen treated the figure of Ganymede in several discrete conceptions, each surviving in several copies in various media — reliefs, plaster casts, and marble sculptures. He represented Ganymede solo, and in groups together with the Eagle, with Hebe, and with Cupid.

Maurizio includes the Ganymede myth among other "stories in which Zeus disguises himself, often as an animal, in order to rape or seduce (if that is the right word) a human being, usually (but not always) a woman." However, a wide range of interpretations of Ganymede's rapture/rape/abduction have been offered over the centuries. Morford & Lenardon discuss that in an instructive sidebar. (Also, cf. Ganymede1.0000.) Understanding the range of Ganymedes — from abductee to enraptured acolyte — can help one respond to Thorvaldsen's sculptural message. In other words: In Thorvaldsen's mind, the interaction between bird and boy here may not be so repulsive as one might initially think. —— Conversely, Hogarth's take on the myth may not be so uplifting; see Michelangelo's lost Ganymede used as commentary in Actaeon2.0001_Hogarth.