Zeus and Hera
Hera is the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth in ancient Greek religion and myth, one of the Twelve Olympians and the sister-wife of Zeus. She is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Hera rules over Mount Olympus as queen of the gods. A matronly figure, Hera served as both the patroness and protectress of married women, presiding over weddings and blessing marital unions. The story of Zeus and Hera isn’t your conventional love story. Zeus was notorious for courting countless women. But it was Hera the goddess of marriage, with whom he was enchanted.
He wanted to have her by his side as the queen of the gods as he ruled over the universe. Hera, however, had no intention of ever becoming Zeus’ wife. She rejected all the marriage proposals she received from him.
Nonetheless, he was relentless and formulated a plan that would see Hera soften her hard stance. One day, Zeus transformed himself into a rain-soaked helpless little bird whose sight was enough to melt even the iciest of hearts.
When Hera saw the little bird, she took pity on it. She took the little creature and nestled it in her bosom to dry it and give it warmth. At that moment, Zeus transformed back into his true form, and Hera couldn’t help it. She fell in love with him. This time, when he asked her to be his wife, she obliged.
That marked the beginning of a vicious cycle of lust, infidelity, jealousy, and vengeance that would be the cornerstone of their relationship.
Zeus and Hera Stamp Collection
Upper Volta 1977 The Meeting of Marie de' Medici and Henry IV at Lyons by Peter Paul Rubens, 1622. This painting allegorically depicts Mary and Henry as gods Juno and Jupiter (Hera and Zeus).
Paraguay 1987 The Meeting of Marie de' Medici and Henry IV at Lyons (detail) by Peter Paul Rubens, 1622. This painting allegorically depicts Mary and Henry as gods Juno and Jupiter (Hera and Zeus).
The Marie de' Medici Cycle is a series of twenty-four paintings by Peter Paul Rubens commissioned by Marie de' Medici, widow of Henry IV of France, for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Rubens received the commission in the autumn of 1621. After negotiating the terms of the contract in early 1622, the project was to be completed within two years, coinciding with the marriage of Marie's daughter, Henrietta Maria. Twenty-one of the paintings depict Marie's own struggles and triumphs in life. The remaining three are portraits of herself and her parents. The paintings now hang in the Louvre in Paris.
This painting allegorically depicts the first meeting of Marie and Henry, which took place after their nuptials by proxy. The upper half of the painting shows Marie and Henry as the mythological Roman gods Juno and Jupiter. The representations are accompanied by their traditional attributes. Marie is shown as Juno (Greek Hera) identified by the peacocks and chariot. Henry is shown as Jupiter (Greek Zeus) identified by the fiery thunderbolts in his hand and the eagle. The joining of the couple's right hands is a traditional symbol of the marriage union. They are dressed in the classical style, which is naturally appropriate to the scene. Above the two stands Hymen who unites them. A rainbow extends from the left corner, a symbol of concord and peace. The lower half of the painting is dominated by imagery of Lyons. Reading from left to right, we see the cityscape with its single hill. The lions pull the chariot (which is a pun on the name of the city), and in the chariot we see the allegorical figure of the city herself with a crown of her battlements: Lyons. Rubens needed to be very careful in the representation of the couple's first meeting because allegedly Henry was very much involved with a mistress at the time of the marriage. In fact, due to the king's other engagements their introduction was delayed, and it was not until midnight nearly a week after Marie arrived that Henry finally joined his bride. By presenting him as Jupiter Rubens implies the promiscuity of the man and the deity. Simultaneously by placing King and Queen together he effectively illustrates the elevated status of the couple
The Presentation of Her Portrait to Henry IV.
by Peter Paul Rubens 1622.
The whole painting
Paraguay 1981 The Presentation of Her Portrait to Henry IV
by Peter Paul Rubens 1622. This painting allegorically depicts Mary and Henry as gods Juno and Jupiter (Hera and Zeus).
To fully appreciate and value this particular cycle piece and the collection as a whole, there is one historical principle to take into account. This painting was created on the cusp of the age of absolutism and, as such, one must remember royalty were considered above corporeal existence. So from birth, Marie would have led a life more ornamental than mortal. This painting of classical gods, along with allegorical personifications, aptly shows the viewer how fundamental this idea was.
Just as Tamino in The Magic Flute, Henry IV falls in love with a painted image. With Amor the Cupid as his escort, Hymenaios, the god of marriage, displays the princess Marie on canvas to her future king and husband. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Juno are sitting atop clouds looking down on Henry as they provide the viewer a key example of marital harmony and thus show approval for the marriage.[ A personification of France is shown behind Henry in her helmet, her left hand showing support, sharing in his admiration of the future sovereignty. Rubens had a way of depicting France that was very versatile in gender in many of his paintings in the cycle. Here France takes on an androgynous role being both woman and man at the same time. Frances's intimate gesture may suggest a closeness between Henry and his country. This gesture would usually be shared among male companions, telling each other's secret. The way France is also dressed shows how female she is on top revealing her breasts and the way the fabric is draped adding notions of classicism. However her bottom half, most notably her exposed calves and Roman boots hints at a masculinity. A sign of male strength in the history of imagery was their stance and exposed strong legs. This connection between the two show that not only are the gods in favor of the match, the King also has the well wishes of his people.
The couple were married by proxy on October 5, 1600.
Rubens is able to coalesce these characters together into a single united front. He creates equality between all of the figures in the painting by cleverly balancing corporeal and ethereal space.
Detail of Zeus, Hera and Hebe or Iris from a depiction of the feast of the gods on Olympus. Zeus and his wife are seated on an elaborate throne decorated with Sphinxes. The god holds a lightning bolt in one hand and an eagle-topped staff in the other. A winged goddess wearing winged boots, either Hebe or Iris, pours nectar from an oinochoe jar.
Greece 1974 God council in Olympus: Zeus and Hera throning, Iris serving them. Detail of the side A of an Attic red-figure belly-amphora, ca. 500 BC. The artist is Nikoxenos Painter