Alkoof met Aegeus before 1724

This print, of unknown date, depicts a scene from classical mythology, rendered by an anonymous artist with etching. The story of Aegeus involves questions of lineage and succession, matters of great significance in the early modern period. Looking at how the artist imagines this scene allows us to think about the image's own cultural and historical context. The architecture is distinctly baroque, the garb is Roman, and the allegorical flourishes – consider the cherubs and the figure rising into the heavens – are of the artist's own time. The combination of these features invites us to consider the place of classical stories within the 17th or 18th century imagination. Were they seen as a repository of timeless wisdom? Or as a raw material to be molded to contemporary tastes? Analyzing the visual codes and cultural references in works like this one depends on familiarity with the art of its time. Institutional collections such as this one at the Rijksmuseum are therefore crucial resources for historians like myself as we explore the shifting meanings of art over time.