Juno, Mars and Cupid, set within an elaborate frame, from "Loves, Rages and Jealousies of Juno" 1531 - 1576

Editor: This is “Juno, Mars and Cupid, set within an elaborate frame, from "Loves, Rages and Jealousies of Juno," an engraving by Giulio Bonasone, sometime between 1531 and 1576. The detail is amazing! What do you see in this piece, beyond the obvious mythological scene? Curator: I see a condensation of anxieties about lineage and power. Note how the central scene, with Juno, Mars, and Cupid, is surrounded by a *frame* filled with symbolic figures: masks, putti, beasts… It's as though the central drama is both contained and amplified by this swirling context of visual signifiers. Editor: So the frame isn't just decoration? Curator: Not at all. The figures around the edge evoke primordial forces and emotional states tied to the family drama at center stage, such as the distorted theatrical masks that signify the performative, anxiety-ridden aspects of nobility, while animals represent nature and instinct. All contribute to Juno's “Loves, Rages, and Jealousies,” as the series title tells us. Does this inform your understanding of the relationship between the figures inside the frame? Editor: Absolutely. The protective animals framing the scene certainly heighten Juno’s jealousy. Is that why Cupid's there, to amplify that? Curator: Cupid represents the driving force behind Juno's actions, yes, yet note his position almost underneath the matriarch… is he victim, perpetrator, or the helpless outcome of it all? This creates narrative complexity and shows emotional struggle using commonplace images. Editor: I hadn’t thought about Cupid’s placement in relation to everyone else like that. It’s like a visual chain of cause and effect. I appreciate that perspective.