Juno Sealing Marriage Pact with Jupiter [reverse] 1680

Curator: This is "Juno Sealing Marriage Pact with Jupiter [reverse]," a metal relief created around 1680 by Arvid Karlsteen. The medal presents a Baroque allegorical scene. Editor: My first impression is one of stark formality. The metal lends it a cool, almost clinical feel, yet the figures themselves possess a fluid, draped elegance. A cosmic handshake deal brokered with exquisite chill. Curator: Exactly. Consider the socio-political context: medals like this weren't just art; they were instruments of power, circulating specific narratives about dynastic legitimacy, about treaties. Note the inscription along the rim: "HINC REGNI HERES," or "From Here, Heirs to the Kingdom." Editor: Which underscores the staged nature of it all, doesn't it? A public contract, sculpted in rigid permanence, while Olympus may well have been brewing a storm of marital discord behind closed doors! Curator: The materiality is key here. Karlsteen chose metal, a durable, reproducible material. The relief allows for multiplication, enabling widespread dissemination of the intended message: a declaration of union. And who would be consuming such medals at the time? Whose allegiance was being sought? Editor: It almost makes me think about it like it is less like an artwork and more like a propagandistic tool! Curator: That would not be very far from the truth at all. But you bring an interesting lens through the concept of 'tool', but it doesn't only apply on the conceptual front! From the metallurgical practices involved in its manufacture to the very distribution of the work itself, Karlsteen’s piece, like many works in precious metals, serves as testament to human technical prowess at play through materials. Editor: In that respect it really does have beauty to it. Looking at it in such clinical terms and applying your perspective really gives insight on the kind of political circumstances that may have lead to such artistic endeavors. Curator: Indeed. The art of that era served more than just the pure purpose of beautiful form or design and really does reflect society back at itself as a cultural looking glass.