Castor and Pollux Rescuing Helen
by GASSIES, Jean-Bruno, Oil on canvas, 113 x 145 cm
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were twin brothers who appeared in several prominent myths. The twins were worshiped as gods who helped shipwrecked sailors and who brought favourable winds for those who made sacrifices to them. In one of the earliest myths about the twins, Castor and Pollux rescued their sister Helen after she had been kidnapped by Theseus, king of Attica.
The present painting was Gassies’s entry for the 1817 Prix de Rome competition for history painting.