Sacrifice to Juno
Date
probably ca. 1650-1651
Creator
Location
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
The subject [of this drawing] may give us a clue as to date. Images of sacrifices to Juno often feature Dido (the Queen of Carthage) and the slaughter of a sacrificial animal. Because Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbearing, women are sometimes shown making sacrifices to her on the occasion of their weddings. In the Snite drawing, a large group of women and a few older men celebrate before a sculpture of Juno and her peacock, recessed into a niche. This may be an illustration of a scene from the Thebaid, an epic poem explaining the mythology of the ancient city of Thebes. It is a story of civil war, and the scene shown here may refer to the wives’ celebration in anticipation of their husbands’ return, after news of a successful battle. If the drawing is by Dorigny, or is at least French, the subject may allude to the conclusion of the Fronde, the French civil war, in 1650/51. from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)
![The subject [of this drawing] may give us a clue as to date. Images of sacrifices to Juno often feature Dido (the Queen of Carthage) and the slaughter of a sacrificial animal. Because Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbearing, women are sometimes shown making sacrifices to her on the occasion of their weddings. In the Snite drawing, a large group of women and a few older men celebrate before a sculpture of Juno and her peacock, recessed into a niche. This may be an illustration of a scene from the Thebaid, an epic poem explaining the mythology of the ancient city of Thebes. It is a story of civil war, and the scene shown here may refer to the wives’ celebration in anticipation of their husbands’ return, after news of a successful battle. If the drawing is by Dorigny, or is at least French, the subject may allude to the conclusion of the Fronde, the French civil war, in 1650/51.
from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fiiif-image.library.nd.edu%2Fiiif%2F2%2F2014.061.018%2F2014_061_018-v0001%2Ffull%2Ffull%2F0%2Fdefault.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.