Mars 1599 - 1602

Jacob Matham created this engraving, “Mars,” around 1598 during the Northern Renaissance, a period of renewed interest in classical antiquity. Matham’s depiction of Mars, the Roman god of war, is complex. We see him from behind, naked save for his helmet, standing powerfully over what seems to be a slain dog, a symbol of loyalty, while brandishing a sword. The image is both triumphant and disturbing. What does it mean to show the spoils of war alongside a naked male form in this moment of victory? In the late 16th century, the male nude was a loaded subject, often idealized but also used to convey vulnerability or moral failings. Here, the tension between Mars’s godlike physique and the violence of his act invites us to reflect on the costs of conflict. The dog makes me think about the bodies left behind. How might Matham’s “Mars” reflect the social and emotional toll that war takes on those who enact and endure it?