Aeneas's Farewell to Dido 1618 - 1682

Jean Le Pautre created this engraving, Aeneas's Farewell to Dido, in the 17th century, a period marked by rigid social hierarchies and patriarchal norms. The scene depicts a moment of colonial abandonment from Virgil's Aeneid. Aeneas kneels before Queen Dido of Carthage. He is preparing to leave her and sail to Italy, to fulfill his destiny. Le Pautre frames Dido as the emotional casualty of Aeneas's ambition. Look at the detail of her slumped posture, a visual marker of her despair and vulnerability. The image becomes a reflection on power dynamics, where the personal is sacrificed for the sake of political and historical destiny. The male narrative of conquest and legacy overshadows Dido’s personal tragedy. The echoes of such power imbalances continue to resonate today, reminding us of the stories often untold in the grand narratives of history.