Kaczmarek, Rebecca R.

English

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Parnassus: Classical Journal Volume 8 Parnassus Classical Journal Article 7 2022 Aeneid: A Depiction of Dido in Dutch Golden Age Art Rebecca R. Kaczmarek College of the Holy Cross, rrkacz23@g.holycross.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://crossworks.holycross.edu/parnassus-j  Part of the Classics Commons, Dutch Studies Commons, Painting Commons, and the Social Justice Commons Recommended Citation Kaczmarek, Rebecca R. (2022) "Aeneid: A Depiction of Dido in Dutch Golden Age Art," Parnassus: Classical Journal: Vol. 8, Article 7. Available at: https://crossworks.holycross.edu/parnassus-j/vol8/iss1/7 This Essays is brought to you for free and open access by the Classics Department at CrossWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Parnassus: Classical Journal by an authorized editor of CrossWorks. Aeneid: A Depiction of Dido in Dutch Golden Age Art Vergil’s Aeneid has been the muse of artists for centuries, even millennia, after itspublication in 19 BCE. Such was the case in the seventeenth century Netherlands, an interestingsituation due to the dichotomy between the Dutch people’s strict moralist faith of Calvinism, andtheir desire to depict risqué themes in art, such as bordello paintings and tavern scenes. As astudent of classics, I sought to learn why the Dutch loved Ancient Roman and Greek mythsdespite its anti-Christian themes. How did such themes fit into the Dutch artistic culture of theseventeenth century when they seemed to directly contradict Dutch values? I found that theDutch expressed their immoral desires in art as a form of catharsis: they were able to retain theirChristian identity by making something beautiful out of their demons instead of actuallycommitting sin. Artists were allowed to depict those scenes because they placed a moralist lenson the scandalous subjects, one example being a painting of a drunken family party that had theproverb “in luxury, look out” written in Dutch in the corner.1 In terms of the Aeneid, I wanted tofind out what the Dutch thought of Dido, an immigrant queen and a woman of color, as shown inDutch art. While it may seem unrelated, it is important to note that at the time, the Dutch wereworld leaders not only in art, but also in trade. The rise of the Dutch East India and Dutch WestIndia companies also increased African slave trade: I argue that the Dutch people’s prejudiceagainst people of African descent is reflected through their depictions of Dido. Therefore, theircatharsis denied Dido her race, a fundamental part of her identity. As I demonstrate later in thisessay, Dutch and Flemish artists illustrate Dido as a woman with pale white Nordic coloring,when she should have been brown based on her ancestry and location in the Mediterranean. Withthese ideas in mind, I compare descriptions of Dido and her surroundings in the Aeneid to Didoand Aeneas by Flemish artist Jan van den Hoecke. I then explain how those similarities anddifferences reflect onto Dutch culture.        Before comparing the paintings to the original Latin descriptions, it is necessary tosummarize the findings of Shelley Haley, a professor at Hamilton College and a prolific experton critical race theory in the ancient world. She has written several papers on the topic, one ofwhich I will discuss in the following two paragraphs. As Haley mentions, Dido’s skin color is notexplicitly described in the Aeneid, the only physical description of her being her hair color.However, as Haley illustrates, there is still much to infer from the Aeneid – and ancient Romeitself – about Dido’s appearance. Haley describes that the Romans did not think about race aspeople do now. According to her, the Romans referred to different skin tones as albus, candidus,1 In Luxury, Look Out (1663) by Jan Steen.ater, fuscus, and niger, meaning white, glistening white, lusterless black (opposite of albus), andshining/glistening black (opposite of candidus), respectively (Haley 31). However, albus doesnot mean ‘white’ in the twenty-first century sense of a ‘Nordic or European coloring,’ because“the ‘developed world’ of Roman world view was definitely the world of pale-brownMediterraneans” (Haley 31). So with that in mind, “the reference point for albus ispale-brown….. ater, candidus, fuscus, and niger become degrees of brownness” (Haley 31).Now, if Dido’s skin color were mentioned at all, one would not have to speculate using raceterminology of Vergil’s time. However, her skin color is not mentioned once in the Aeneid,which is in itself an indication of the color:In the character of Dido, gender, culture, and geographical location, rather than thesomatic trait of skin color, are the factors construing difference. If Dido had belonged tothe gene pool for which “having fair hair and skin and usually light eyes” is the norm,then it seems to me that Vergil, whose reference is candidus (pale brown) would havefound that remarkable and would have mentioned it when we first encounter Dido.However, he does not describe her physically at all, making it all the more plausible thatVergil conceived of Dido as what I call the “beautiful norm”: southern Mediterranean andSemitic women who were candidae, with black hair, pale brown skin, and dark eyes.(Haley 37)As Haley points out, Vergil would have found it astonishing if Dido had Nordic white skin andblond hair, and as a result he would have described such a notable difference; however, he wroteno such description. Therefore, Dido’s skin color must have appeared the same as other womenat the time – at the lightest, she was pale brown.Now, her hair – it is likely that Dido’s hair was darker than the blond it is described as inthe Aeneid. Vergil describes Dido’s hair once at the end of Book 4 when she sees that Aeneas hasleft the port: terque quaterque manu pectus percussa decorum flaventisque abscissa comas(Vergil 4.589-90).2  At this moment in the Aeneid, Dido’s hair is blond, which is only naturallypossible for someone of European descent. However, as Haley points out, diction makes it clearthat her hair was not always that way:“Translators render flaventis as “golden” or “yellow,” but the word is a participialadjective from the verb “flaveo,” “to be yellow,” so that in line 590 there is a sense thatDido’s hair has just become yellow.” (Haley 39)Thus, her hair must have been darker before the ritual. The reason why Haley believes Dido hadher hair dyed is because Dido turned to an indigenous African priestess to complete rituals inorder to cope with Aeneas’ impending departure (Haley 38, Vergil 4.483). According to Haley:“One important aspect of ritual in some traditional African religions involves dousing theworshippers and presiders with a yellow mud made from ochre. I suggest also that Didohad been doused with a similar mud, hence the description of her as having yellow hair(flaventis abscissa comas, 1.590).” (Haley 38-39)Therefore, it is likely that Dido’s hair turned yellow because of the African ritual she took partin. Vergil had knowledge of African customs, so it is likely that he was aware of this one anddeliberately used flaventis to subtly demonstrate such knowledge. (Haley 37) Thus, Dido musthave had naturally dark hair.Now that I have explained Dido’s appearance, I will present some background on theinformation on the artist that painted Dido and Aeneas, which will inform my analysis of the2 she struck her lovely chest three and four times with her hand, she tore her yellowing hairpainting. Not much is known about van den Hoecke, as he was a minor Flemish artist andtapestry maker. However, art historians know that he mainly painted portraits and historypaintings, and was a pupil of Rubens, who had a classical style and followed Caravaggio;naturally, van den Hoecke’s own style derived from his master’s.3 After he spent time in Rubens’studio, van den Hoecke lived in Italy from 1635-1646, studying the Italian masters and furtherdeveloping his style. This period of his life influenced him in his later years. Even though hemade Dido and Aeneas before his trip to Italy, or perhaps in his first year there, it is clear that hehas always been interested in classical themes. However, it is unclear how deep his interest goesbecause it is not known whether he knew Latin. If he knew the language, he would have beenable to read the Aeneid the way it was written, and therefore could have depicted Didoaccurately. There is one painting of his called Amor vincit omnia, which may indicate that heknew Latin, but most painting titles that people use today are different from what they are calledwhen they are created. If van den Hoecke knew Latin, it is possible that he painted Dido andAeneas and used the original Latin as a source, but it is also possible that he read an Englishtranslation or read their story in an emblem book.4 Additionally, if he were classically educated,he would have known Dido’s true hair color was dark and that her skin was brown. Regardless,van den Hocke had a deep interest in both the classics and the classical style of painting.Now that van den Hoecke’s artistic background is laid out, it is time to discuss hispainting Dido and Aeneas (circa 1630-1635). Even though Dido is the focus of this essay, it isimperative to describe the whole painting and see how accurate it is to the Latin so that we havea full analysis. The foreground of the painting shows Aeneas helping Dido off a horse, and the4 Painters across Europe used emblem books to incorporate symbols into their paintings and add meaning. Forexample, dogs represented loyalty, and pipes and tankards represented sin (Westermann). Some emblem books, suchKarel van Mander’s Schilder-boeck included a summary of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I am not sure if there is anemblem book that contains a summary of the Aeneid (as I cannot read Dutch and could not find one).3 The term ‘history painting’ includes not only paintings of historical events, but also of Greek and Romanmythology.background shows men hunting stags with a storm looming ahead. These are the lines from theAeneid that match the painting:alia de parte patentis / transmittunt cursu campos atque agmina cervi / pulverulenta fugaglomerant montisque relinquunt. / at puer Ascanius mediis in vallibus acri / gaudet equoiamque hos cursu, iam praeterit illos, / spumantemque dari pecora inter inertia votis /optat aprum, aut fulvum descendere monte leonem. / Interea magno misceri murmurecaelum / Incipit, insequitur commixta grandine nimbus / Et Tyrii comites passim etTroiana iuventus / Dardaniusque nepos Veneris diversa per agros / Tecta metu petiere;ruunt de montibus amnes. / Speluncam Dido dux et Troianus eandem / deveniunt. (Vergil4.151-66)5It is interesting that the foreground and focus of this painting is the most inaccurate to the Latin.As shown by the quote above, Dido’s physical appearance is not mentioned in this scene. Butdrawing from Haley’s article, Dido is not as white as the woman depicted in the painting, nor atthis point in the story does she have yellow hair. When Dido enters the cave with Aeneas, herhair is most likely black or dark brown like the hair color of most Mediterranean people andSemites at the time. Dido’s hair turns yellow long after they have solidified their relationship inthe cave and shortly before Aeneas leaves her. Therefore, the way van den Hoecke paintedDido’s hair is inaccurate to her true hair color at that point in the story. Additionally, Vergil doesnot write that Aeneas helped Dido get off her horse when the storm arrived, though it may seemplausible. The most incredible part of the painting is the two naked children with wings. One sits5 Deer from another refuge / Sped off in crowding ranks across the bare plain, / In a dusty panic to escape themountain. / The boy Ascanius, keen-horsed, keen rider, / Kept racing past them on the valley floor, / wanting atawny lion from the mountain / Or a foam-mouthed boar among so many tame things. / But a racket and now atumult now erupted / From the sky; a storm cloud shot in, full of hail, / Scattering the trojans and their Tyrianescorts / And Venus’ Trojan grandson through the fields / Toward urgent shelter. Streams rushed from the hillsides. /The Trojan lord and Dido found the same cave. (Ruden 4.151-66)on a horse, and the other flies directly above Dido’s head. If we are to understand such childrenas angels in the painting, they do not belong to the Roman pantheon of gods. Another possibilityis that the babies are manifestations of Cupid, though he is only one god. But, the baby on thehorse is Ascanius, whom Cupid disguised himself as in Book 1. But if he is Ascanius, he is notchasing deer as he does in the Aeneid. Nevertheless, these two figures are not in the Latin text.The only textually accurate part about the painting is the background. Just as in the Aeneid, deerrun away from the men chasing them – one man is clearly visible on the left side of the painting,and the other’s only visible part is the tail end of his horse. The rest of his body and the horse falloff the left side of the painting.So, if the background of the painting is accurate, why did van den Hoecke make theforeground so different from the Aeneid? It was not difficult to obtain brown colors at the time.Open market paintings were made mostly brown because the color was so inexpensive, not tomention that the upper right part of the painting is mostly brown, and so is the child’s horse.Thus, if the artist had the means to paint it accurately, why did van den Hoecke make thisstylistic choice? There is no way to know for sure, but it is possible to surmise a few things. Theartist was clearly interested in classics. He only painted a few mythological paintings, but hespent considerable time in the studio of Rubens, who did paint a lot of them. Van den Hoeckewas also able to style the background of his painting directly as the Latin instructed. Perhaps theaddition of the winged children was a nod to Cupid to show Aeneas and Dido’s budding love, butthere is no explanation for why Dido is lighter in skin tone than she should be. To be fair, vanden Hoecke did not have a modern understanding of race. He may not have known the Africancustoms that involved dyeing one’s hair – it could be unintentional ignorance. However, he didlive in a time and place where slave trade was on the rise. Van den Hoecke lived just south of theNorthern Netherlands in Flanders. There was close contact between the Flemish and Dutch,especially artists traveling back and forth from Flanders to Amsterdam and Utrecht and evenItaly, where they had firsthand contact with Mediterranean inhabitants. It was entirely possiblethat van den Hoecke encountered African slaves and traveling artists since he was a member ofRubens’ studio. Also, if he knew anything about the Aeneid, which he clearly did as shown bythe painting’s background, he knew Dido was from Tyre and immigrated to North Africa. Thus,he would have known that she was a brown woman at the very least.While van den Hoecke did whitewash Dido, it is important to note that he was not theonly one. In the Dutch and Flemish tradition, paintings such as Cornelis Troost’s Aeneas undDido brecken zur Jagd auf, Gerard Hoet the Elder’s Aenas und Ascanius beim Festmahl derDido, and Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert’s Dido and Aeneas in the Cave do the same thing tovarying degrees. There are only a few known paintings of people of color in the seventeenthcentury Dutch catalogue at all, due to their racist society as demonstrated by their use of Africanslaves. But Dido was whitewashed by artists from other countries, such as Italian artists whoshould have had a better understanding of Mediterranean coloring. Though race is a construct, ithas real societal impacts. Therefore, by erasing one’s race, one strips away people of color’shumanity. Dido cannot be Dido without her race - by making her a Nordic white woman, it takesaway her history in Tyre and her founding of Carthage in North Africa - her place in the world.This paper seeks not to condemn van den Hoecke nor any Flemish, Dutch, or other artists, but tocall attention to the rampant erasure of people of color in Netherlandish art of the seventeenthcentury, and in turn, the erasure of people of color from narratives in antiquity.66 However, that is not to say that black and brown people were completely absent from Dutch art. Artists such asFrans Post painted the Black people of Brazil in his landscape paintings, but he made them more part of thelandscape than the principal figures, even then erasing their importance.WORKS CITEDHaley, Shelley P. “Be Not Afraid of the Dark: Critical Race Theory and Classical Studies.” Prejudiceand Christian Beginnings: Investigating Race, Gender and Ethnicity in Early Christian Studies,edited by Laura Nasrallah and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Fortress Press, 2009, pp. 27-50.Fortress Press,https://ms.fortresspress.com/downloads/0800663403_Chapter%20one.pdf?redirected=true.Accessed December 2020.Maro, Publius Vergilius. Aeneid. Translated by Sarah Ruden, Yale University Press, 2008.Maro, Publius Vergilius. Aeneid Books 1-6. Edited by Randall T. Ganiban, et al., Focus, an imprint ofHackett Publishing, 2012.Westermann, Mariët. A Worldly Art: The Dutch Republic 1585-1718. 3rd ed., Yale University Press,2007.

Aeneid: A Depiction of Dido in Dutch Golden Age Art

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Aeneid: A Depiction of Dido in Dutch Golden Age Art

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