CARRACCI, Annibale
(b. 1560, Bologna, d. 1609, Roma)

Jupiter and Juno

1597-1602
Fresco
Galleria Farnese, Palazzo Farnese, Rome

The paintings in the Galleria Farnese are erotic, in the broadest sense of the word, for the overarching theme of the scenes is the omnipotence of love, 'omnia vincit amor' (love conquers all), as expressed by Virgil in the Eclogues. Everybody succumbs to love. Jupiter, the father of the gods, who allows himself to be kept from intervening in the Trojan War, is distracted by the seductive charms of Juno.