Discussion of the Konstellations

[Koen G]

I was a bit puzzled by the garment and the connected hand on the "Virgo". On the narrative level of meaning, this is Philomela bound and about to have her tongue severed, but why is it drawn like that, and how does it refer to Venus/Aphrodite as Virgo? As it turns out, the pose is fairly standard...



Also, the item in her hand is drawn like the pincers used to extract her tongue, but Spica is very often held this way by figures of the Virgo-spectrum. This was found even outside of Virgo iconography proper, as many of these goddesses were associated with grain (fertility) and prosperity. Their attributes are so interchangeable that even experts don't always know which figure is meant if she isn't explicitly labelled.



What I don't know yet is why her assailant appears to hit her in the eye and why her face is drawn in a rather square way.