Refugees of War: Federico Barocci’s Aeneas Fleeing Troy, Classical Antecedents to Contemporary Issues

Abstract

Aeneas Fleeing Troy, painted by Federico Barocci (1535–1612), depicts a scene from Vergil’s Aeneid (29–15 BCE). This article offers interpretations of text and image highlighting the complexity of the refugee experience and the possibilities for a future society comprised of blended populations. Aeneas negotiated a new world for his progeny while suffering through war, displacement and loss. History suggests that art and literature are compelling translators of our shared human experience, which can encourage the creation of an inclusive civilization and give warnings about potential conflict. The battles and blood-shed, religious and civil wars that transpired while Barocci created his artwork and as it was transferred between owners, such as the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, Queen Christina of Sweden and Louis Philippe II (Philippe Égalité), cousin of the beheaded King Louis XVI, offer insights into alternative paths forward for Europe. History, literature, and art provide – not only instruction from the past – but guidance to negotiate a future in which contributions by the indigenous populations of Europe are honoured and cherished, while the integration of different cultures provides change for a new shared European future.