Popular Culture Review Volume 29, Number 2, Summer 2018 | Page 123

Popular Culture Review 29.2
He strove for a sense of action and movement , particularly in its vertical lines . The statue ’ s spiral construction offers many vantage points . A Roman soldier firmly grasps a terrified Sabine woman . Her father lies vanquished at the soldier ’ s foot . Giambologna displayed his sedulous skill in portraying both sexes of three different ages .
The legend of the Sabine women is one of the founding myths of Rome . It provided a lurid explanation of how the first Romans used force and cunning to marry outside their social group ( exogamy ) and develop a strong populace capable of dominating their neighbors as a Republic and an Empire . Romulus slew his brother Remus and became the sole ruler of Rome . Men dominated the population that settled in the city that bore his name . Romulus proclaimed a feast day and invited the members of the neighboring Sabine tribe to celebrate . At a signal from Romulus , his soldiers murdered the Sabine men and took their women by force . Titus Livius in The History of Rome ( 1905 ) described the “ abducted maidens ” as “ despondent and indignant ” ( para . 1.9 ). Romulus boorishly asked them to forgo such feelings and to “ give their affections to those whom fortune had made masters of their persons ” ( para . 1.9 ).
The statue , carved in Italy to exacting specifications , welcomed visitors when Caesars Palace opened in 1966 . Sarno recalled the difficulties he encountered in shipping his favorite statue to the United States : “ I had to argue like hell to get the sculptor to ship it to America . He feared it would be damaged in transit ” ( De Matteo , Strip , 1 ). Some guests exiting their limousines may see this statue as “ simply classy , a fancy sculpture of naked people , that marks the entry as elegant ” ( McCombie 57 ). Two statues of armed soldiers mounting horses frame this magnificent marble creation .
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