Jupiter en Juno 1575 - 1607

Curator: Oh, isn't this wild? At first glance, it's like a mythological soap opera caught in a tangled cloud! The engraving by Hendrick Goltzius, titled "Jupiter and Juno," done sometime between 1575 and 1607. Editor: "Tangled cloud" is putting it mildly! The whole thing swirls like a baroque hurricane, even down to the details of that serpent! Is it me, or is there something almost…comical about it? Jupiter looks a bit like he's had a rough night, doesn’t he? Curator: Indeed, Goltzius infuses it with a sort of exaggerated humanity, despite the classical subject matter. The piece uses allegory, representing Jupiter and Juno, king and queen of the gods. Its place here at the Rijksmuseum really brings the history of the era into view; the Dutch Republic was interested in power and morality, and mythological images, although bawdy at times, were popular carriers of such societal concerns. Editor: That adds an interesting layer to what appears at first like just a standard heroic nude! The details in the crosshatching, so neat and controlled to represent, of all things, passionate figures… It's fascinating. It makes me wonder, too, about what audiences *really* thought when viewing pieces like this. Curator: Art historians suggest there was always a dialogue between the ideals these figures represented, and the very human foibles they were known for. Were they aspirational or simply symbolic representations of very tangible earthly dynamics between couples, kingdoms and societies? Editor: It makes you ponder the performance of power then and even now! Looking closer, Juno almost seems a bit…resigned? Jupiter's got that kingly arm thrown around her, but her gaze is distant. Maybe that’s reading too much into it. Curator: I think that captures the tension nicely, actually! The era grappled with representing figures both powerfully in control, and recognisably human. I am still stunned by that weird dog vomiting on a snake behind the two. What are we even to do with all that visual information. Editor: You could stare into this little tableau for hours. Every time, you'd notice something else hidden in the linework and the larger allegory—endless possibilities! Curator: Exactly. The conversations, debates and analysis of a print like "Jupiter and Juno" echo throughout history; what might the people viewing it today, 400 years after its making, extract from the artwork’s societal commentary?