Apollo and the Niobids 1700 - 1800

This small engraving, titled "Apollo and the Niobids," is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was created by an anonymous artist. The scene depicts the massacre of the Niobids by Apollo and Artemis and draws from classical mythology, where these gods punish Niobe for her hubris. Niobe, a queen, boasted that she was superior to the goddess Leto because she had more children. The story of the Niobids highlights themes of power, punishment, and the consequences of challenging divine authority. There are gendered dimensions here too, with the focus on Niobe's pride in her fertility leading to the destruction of her children. The engraving conveys a sense of chaos and suffering, with the Niobids shown in various states of distress as they are struck down by the gods' arrows. Ultimately, the artwork is not just a depiction of a mythological event, but also a reflection on human pride and the limits of mortality when confronted with the power of the divine.