Allegorie op het huwelijk en de liefde c. 1530 - 1560

This allegory of marriage and love comes to us from an anonymous artist known only as the Master of the Die. At first glance, we observe goddesses riding chariots, one pulled by peacocks—symbols of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage—and doves, representing Venus, goddess of love. Above, Cupid hovers, ready with his arrow. But these are not mere illustrations; they are carriers of cultural memory. The peacock, for instance, has long been associated with vanity and pride, but also with immortality, its resplendent plumage echoing the heavens. Consider the act of being struck by Cupid's arrow. This motif reappears across centuries, from classical sculptures to Renaissance paintings, each time evoking the instantaneous, often painful, yet transformative power of love. It transcends mere sentimentality, tapping into the primal human experience of desire, loss, and vulnerability. It stirs within us a subconscious echo of shared emotional experience, a collective understanding that love, in its most potent form, is both a wound and a cure. These images—Juno’s peacocks, Venus’ doves, Cupid’s arrow—speak to the cyclical nature of human experience, resurfacing across time, reminding us of love's enduring power over the human heart.