Plate 81: Erysichthon Selling his Daughter (Diversas induta Mitra diversis divenditur), from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' 1606

Antonio Tempesta etched this print around 1606, illustrating a scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses: Erysichthon selling his daughter. Note the exchange: the father's outstretched hand receiving coins for his daughter, a transaction laden with social and moral implications. This motif of transaction echoes through art history. Consider, for instance, ancient Near Eastern votive figures with clasped hands, symbolizing offerings or devotion. Here, however, the gesture is perverted, twisted into a sale. It embodies not piety but desperation. The daughter, her face turned away, embodies the emotional turmoil, a deep subconscious dread. Through centuries, we see the motif shift, resurface. A similar gesture appears in medieval depictions of Judas receiving payment, a symbol of betrayal. This non-linear, cyclical progression reveals how fundamental gestures are charged with meaning, continually evolving, adapting, and engaging viewers on a deeply felt level.