Olympias 1620 - 1664

Stefano della Bella created this small engraving of "Olympias" sometime in the 17th century. The print depicts Olympias, wife of Philip II of Macedon, in flowing robes, gazing down at a large snake. Considered within the history of powerful women, the figure of Olympias is compelling. The inscription on the print notes her happiness at being the mother of Alexander the Great. But it also references the myth that she conceived Alexander with a god, represented by the snake. The slithering serpent suggests the ancient idea that the divine can manifest in both frightening and alluring forms, and it also suggests that the serpent has entered her bedchamber, unbidden, unexpected. Stefano della Bella has captured a moment in which mythology, motherhood, and female agency intertwine. How did Olympias feel about this intrusion, this divine act? Was she powerful because of it, or subservient to it?