Marcus Atilius Regulus in a barrel while two men are hammering in the nails, various figures throughout 1555 - 1577

This print, etched by Diana Scultori in the 16th century, depicts the martyrdom of Marcus Atilius Regulus, a Roman general, sealed in a barrel spiked with nails. Here, the barrel itself becomes a potent symbol. The confinement and torture echo ancient sacrificial rituals, where the body becomes a vessel of suffering. Consider how this motif resonates with earlier images of entombment, or even the flaying of Marsyas. The barrel, like a sarcophagus, transforms into a prison of flesh. These images tap into a deep-seated human fear: the vulnerability of the body. Notice, in later works, how the motif of ‘entrapment’ recurs. Think of Dante’s Inferno, or even the paintings of Francis Bacon, where figures are distorted and confined. The human psyche seems drawn to this symbol, repeatedly reenacting themes of suffering. The image reminds us that even in the Renaissance, the echoes of ancient cruelty resonate, a testament to the cyclical nature of history and the enduring power of symbols.