Alcyone Offering Prayers to Juno 1606

Editor: This is Antonio Tempesta's "Alcyone Offering Prayers to Juno," an etching from the late 16th or early 17th century. It feels very formal and posed, despite the dramatic subject matter. What strikes you about this work? Curator: It’s interesting to consider the power dynamics at play. Alcyone, a woman, is pleading with Juno, another woman, for the safety of her husband. How does this reliance on female figures for male protection reflect or challenge patriarchal norms of the time? Editor: That's an interesting point. So, the women are actually holding all the power here? Curator: Perhaps. Or are they merely fulfilling prescribed roles within a system that ultimately prioritizes male lives and endeavors? Examining such images invites us to question the supposed universality of power. Editor: This makes me think about how the personal is political, even in these old stories. Thanks. Curator: Indeed. Art provides a lens through which we can examine historical and contemporary inequalities.