Hebé 

Alexandre Chaponnier rendered this plate of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, in the 18th century. She stands, nearly nude, beside Zeus’s eagle. She offers the majestic bird ambrosia, the drink of the gods. This pairing is a rich emblem. Eagles have long symbolized power, courage, and divine connection, often linked to royal figures like Zeus. In ancient Greece, ambrosia was believed to bestow immortality or longevity upon whoever consumed it. The motif of a young woman offering sustenance to an eagle echoes through history. We see it, for example, in images of Ganymede, another youthful figure associated with Zeus, also depicted offering drink to an eagle. Such imagery taps into a deep, perhaps subconscious, longing for renewal and divine favor, reflecting our primal desires for immortality. The goddess Hebe and her symbols appear, disappear, and reappear, with each epoch imbuing them with new significance.