Abduction of Polyxena

This four-figure plaster model shows the young warrior Pyrrhus abducting Polyxena, the daughter of King Priam of Troy and Queen Hecuba. Pyrrhus was the son of Achilles, and he killed Polyxena to avenge his late father, who was murdered by Priam’s son. At their feet, Hecuba reaches for her daughter in anguish. Ultimately, she was unable to save either Polyxena or her son Polites, who lies dead at the feet of his mother and sister. Pio Fedi first explored this subject through plaster models like this one. By 1865, he had completed the colossal marble sculpture for the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, and the public flocked to his studio to see it displayed alongside its plaster and terra-cotta models.