Anaxarete en Iphis / Dood van Dido / Venus troost Amor 1680 - 1800

This undated print by the artist known only as Monogrammist MP combines three scenes derived from classical literature. These miniature dramas of love and death speak to the enduring power of classical narratives in European culture. The stories of Anaxarete, Dido, and Venus with Cupid, are visual codes. They were well-known in the artist's time. Because of that familiarity, they could use these stories to comment on contemporary social issues or to express particular moral or philosophical ideas. It could be argued that these prints offered a sophisticated form of entertainment but they also acted as vehicles for the transmission of cultural values. Understanding these prints requires us to engage in historical detective work, examining how these classical stories were interpreted and adapted in different periods and places. By exploring libraries, archives, and museum collections, we can reconstruct the social and institutional contexts that gave rise to these intriguing images.