Hermaphroditus omhelsd door Salmacis 1762

Jean Daullé created this engraving, "Hermaphroditus omhelsd door Salmacis," a title which translates to "Hermaphroditus Embraced by Salmacis". Here, Daullé depicts a scene pulled from Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," illustrating the myth of Hermaphroditus and the nymph Salmacis. We see a moment of transformative entanglement, charged with desire and loss of self. This piece reflects the 18th-century fascination with classical mythology, but also hints at deeper interrogations of identity and transformation. It visualizes the complex negotiations of gender and sexuality. Notice how Salmacis clutches Hermaphroditus, their bodies merging, blurring the boundaries of male and female. Daullé captures an intense merging and entwining that challenges the rigid gender norms of his time. The viewer is made witness to a moment of profound, corporeal change, urging us to contemplate the fluidity of identity. The tragic beauty of the myth lies in its revelation of the perils and desires inherent in the loss of individual identity.