Chinese godin Puzza in twee gedaanten 1726

This engraving, "Chinese godin Puzza in twee gedaanten" by Bernard Picart, presents a study in comparative religious iconography. The composition is divided into two distinct registers, each depicting the goddess Puzza in different forms. Above, Puzza is likened to Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess, enthroned amidst an elaborate scene, complete with attendants and a detailed landscape. Below, she is reimagined as Isis, seated on a lotus flower, evoking a sense of serene transcendence. The rigid symmetry and precise linework underscore Picart's formal approach, yet the cultural juxtaposition invites a semiotic reading. How do these visual associations challenge or reinforce existing notions of cultural and religious identity? The act of comparison itself becomes a commentary on the fluidity of representation and the construction of meaning.