The Feast of The Gods At The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis 1638

Abraham Bloemaert painted "The Feast of The Gods At The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis" during the Dutch Golden Age, a time when the Netherlands experienced unprecedented economic and cultural growth. Here, Bloemaert stages the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, attended by an array of mythological figures. Yet, discord arises when Eris, the goddess of strife, is excluded, leading her to instigate the Trojan War. Bloemaert’s painting invites a dialogue between the opulence of the Golden Age and the narratives of classical mythology. While he meticulously depicts the gods, complete with their markers of status and power, he also captures a moment of vulnerability. The exclusion of Eris, a female deity, speaks volumes about the social hierarchies of the time, where certain voices were deliberately marginalized. How does it feel to be left out?