Argus' Heir By cidaq Watch

270 Favourites 15 Comments 4K Views

The text is taken from an early 18th century translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses (book I).

Jupiter falls in love with Io. When his wife Juno threatens to discover his amour, he turns Io into a rather pretty cow. Juno asks it as a gift from her husband, who can't deny it without betraying his deception. Juno then orders the many-eyed Argus to guard Io. To free her, Jupiter sends Mercury, who first lulls Argus to sleep and then cuts off his head. Juno takes his many eyes and places them on the tail of her peacock.



So much about the very human activities of classical deities...



Argus with his watchful eyes has sometimes been interpreted as symbolising reason. In this context I found it quite interesting that his eyes are placed on the tail of a peacock, a bird generally associated with vanity (see for instance the fable of Juno and the peacock in Aesop).



Ink and watercolour...

IMAGE DETAILS Image size 484x768px 93.05 KB Show More

Published : Jul 18, 2012