Mantua, Ducal Palace, the Hall of Troy:
"The Rape of Helen"

"The Rape of Helen" (South Wall). This scene begins the fresco cycle dedicated to the Trojan War. This is  first of the three painted  scenes on the south wall and is dedicated to the Trojan Paris, whose weakness contrasts, in the intentions of the room's cycle, with the valiant deeds of the Achaeans Diomedes and Achilles. It depicts the abduction of Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus, by Paris himself, who, by taking her to Troy, thus sparked the war. The desire for the beautiful Helen drives the action, as indicated by the presence of Cupid with a lit torch, a symbol of amorous union. In the panel on the right, above the door leading to the Gallery of the Months (or the Marbles), is "The Dream of Hecuba." Hecuba, the first wife of the Trojan king Priam, is pregnant with his son Paris and dreams of a terrifying lit torch from which serpents emerge. These frescoes, designed by Giulio Romano, are also attributed to Luca Scaletti da Faenza, known as Figurino.