Jupiter Bringing the Hercules Child to the Sleeping Juno 1682 - 1735

Jan Claudius de Cock created the marble sculpture “Jupiter Bringing the Hercules Child to the Sleeping Juno” sometime between 1668 and 1735. De Cock was active in a period where art was used to reinforce power structures, and the sculpture reflects these dynamics. The sculpture depicts a mythological narrative loaded with gendered implications. Jupiter, king of the gods, presents his illegitimate child, Hercules, to his sleeping wife, Juno. The narrative, drawn from classical mythology, presents a domestic scene fraught with tension, betrayal, and the negotiation of patriarchal power. Juno is vulnerable in her sleep, unaware of the imposition about to occur. De Cock’s sculpture invites reflection on themes of power, infidelity, and the complex roles assigned to women within historical narratives. How does Juno’s vulnerability in sleep shape our understanding of her agency? What does it mean to bring an unwanted child into her private space? The answers may change depending on your own lived experience.