Tarquinius Collatinus' banket 1578 - 1579

Hendrick Goltzius created this engraving, "Tarquinius Collatinus' Banquet," during the late 16th or early 17th century, a period marked by strict social hierarchies and nascent shifts in cultural norms. Here, we witness a scene of male camaraderie, a banquet, likely representing an upper-class Roman setting. The presence of female figures as servants underscores prevailing gender roles, where women's labor sustains male pleasure and power. Note the gazes of the men, which may reflect the social dynamics of the time and their attitudes towards women and each other. The inscription beneath the image suggests a narrative of betrayal and lust, themes common in the moralizing art of the period. These themes were often used to reinforce societal expectations about virtue and vice, and reflect the anxieties of a society grappling with moral and political change. The emotional intensity of Goltzius's engraving lies in its ability to capture the charged atmosphere of a moment laden with both pleasure and impending doom, mirroring the complex social and ethical landscape of his time.