Dido (or Lucretia?) c. 1660

This bronze statuette, possibly of Dido or Lucretia, was made by Ferdinando Tacca in Florence during the 17th century. The subject is in the act of suicide, a popular motif at this time. The open question of the figure's identity speaks to the complex relationship between women and power in early modern Europe. Both Dido and Lucretia were figures from antiquity who took their own lives rather than live without honor. Dido, the Queen of Carthage, killed herself after being abandoned by Aeneas, while Lucretia stabbed herself after being raped. These stories were well known to Tacca and his audience, through literature, theater, and visual art. The act of representing them raises important questions about the role of women in 17th century Florentine society and the male gaze, while the institutional history of bronze making in Florence, with its links to aristocratic patronage, shows how the means of production had a huge impact on the subject matter that was considered appropriate. To understand this work better, one would need to research the history of bronze sculpture in Florence, the role of women in Florentine society, and the classical sources that inspired Tacca.