Prometheus and Mercury c. 1720

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro completed this terracotta relief sculpture of Prometheus and Mercury in the 18th century. Vaccaro, as part of the Neapolitan School, was working in a time and place defined by its own cultural identity and the pressures of colonial influence. Looking closely, we see Prometheus bound and suffering, while Mercury appears almost indifferent. How might we interpret this scene through the lens of power dynamics? Consider the story of Prometheus, who defied the gods to give fire to humanity, as a metaphor for cultural resistance. Mercury, acting on Zeus’s behalf, embodies the forces of authority and control. Vaccaro, as an artist in colonial Naples, was walking a tightrope between cultural pride and political reality. This work invites us to reflect on the complexities of resistance, the cost of defiance, and the subtle ways in which artists can express profound truths through familiar stories.