Leda and the Swan by Rubens Dresden Gallery The motif of Leda and the Swan from Greek mythology, in which the Greek god Zeus came to Leda in the form of a swan, was rarely seen in Gothic art, but resurfaced as a classicizing theme, with erotic overtones, in Italian painting and sculpture of the 16th Century. Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens (June 28, 1577 - May 30, 1640) was a Flemish artist, considered by many to be one of the greatest painters in European art history, a master of the Baroque style and the most important Flemish painter of the 17th century. 固opfoto