Aeneas Escaping Troy
The sixteenth century saw a codifying of mythological imagery, particularly after the narratives of the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC–AD 17), creating iconologies that offered a standard repertoire to artists and printmakers. Although later artists, such as Antonio Tempesta, depicted as many as 150 of the Ovidian myths, de Jode was more selective. This print is from a series of 28 that reflect the Northern interest in stories that revealed universal human virtues. In this case, the Trojan hero Aeneas escapes the sack of Troy not with treasures, but with family. The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art’s collection includes twelve works from this series (Eskenazi Museum of Art 98.265.1–.12).
Gerard de Jode
Aeneas Escaping Troy from Mythological and Historical Scenes in Landscapes (Ruinarum variorum fabricarum, delineations…)
Engraving on paper