Vaas met het offer van Iphigenia 1778

This engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi depicts a vase adorned with the Sacrifice of Iphigenia. The central image portrays Agamemnon’s daughter, Iphigenia, offered as a sacrifice to appease the goddess Diana. This scene carries echoes of ancient dramas, resonating with the primal themes of duty, sacrifice, and divine intervention found in the Greek tragedies. These themes resurface across time, as seen in medieval passion plays and even modern cinema. The figure of Iphigenia, willingly or not, becomes a symbol of sacrifice, a motif recurring in art and literature throughout the ages. This echoes in works depicting the martyrdom of saints or even modern narratives of self-sacrifice for a greater cause. These images tap into our collective unconscious, evoking a sense of catharsis. The viewer is drawn into a timeless drama. Piranesi's vase encapsulates a non-linear progression, resurfacing and evolving with new meaning in each historical context.