Plate 71: Procris Killed by Cephalus's Javelin (Procridem inscius interficit Cephalus), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' 1606

Antonio Tempesta etched this image depicting a tragic scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Here, we witness the death of Procris, struck by the very javelin her husband, Cephalus, holds. In a moment of cruel irony, the weapon meant for the hunt becomes an instrument of unintended death, and Cephalus stares upwards, aghast. The javelin itself is an ancient symbol, dating back to early representations of power and hunting prowess, which reappears across cultures. Consider its counterpart in classical sculptures of Diana, or even Christian iconography of Saint Sebastian. The sharp arrow pierces the body, an act of violation, but also, a conduit for transcendence. We see echoed here the themes of love, loss, and the precariousness of human life, as well as primal fears of betrayal and tragic accidents. The emotional charge of the image—Cephalus’s despair, Procris’s lifelessness—engages our psyche, reminding us that these symbols are not static, but living entities.