Dido 1520

Curator: Here we have Sebald Beham's "Dido," a print dating back to 1520, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the figure's powerful, almost masculine, physique—a rather unexpected depiction of the tragic Queen. Curator: Indeed. Beham has tapped into the iconography of female strength, yet the downcast gaze and the burning pyre in the background hint at her imminent doom. Note the laurel wreath, a symbol of victory, ironically placed on her head. Editor: I see her story as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked passion and the political consequences thereof. The inscription details Virgil's Aeneid, so the artwork serves as a public warning. Curator: The symbols employed speak to love, honor, and sacrifice, making it a timeless meditation on the human condition. Editor: It does make you think about how artists can manipulate symbols to fit into the established history.