Reconstruction of the edifice supported by caryatids found in 1765 in the Vineyard off-Strozzi Port St Sebastian 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi rendered this reconstruction of an edifice with caryatids in etching and engraving. The caryatids—female figures acting as columns—are the dominant visual symbol. These figures supporting the architecture evoke the Greek myth of Caryae, where the women were enslaved as punishment for their city's betrayal, made to bear heavy burdens as a perpetual reminder. Yet, the image of women as architectural support predates the Greeks. Consider the pillars of Minoan palaces, or even the Egyptian Hathor columns crowned with a woman's head. It is as though the subconscious mind reaches back through history, retrieving and reshaping archetypes to express power dynamics. The weight these figures bear is not just physical. It is the weight of history, of cultural memory, and perhaps, a reflection of the burdens placed on women across time. This motif surfaces again and again, evolving with each telling, revealing the cyclical nature of cultural symbols.