This is a stunning laminated giclée on aluminium composite panel screen printed with glitter. The work is hand signed and numbered by Damien Hirst on the label on the back. Theodora is a limited edition of 3.315 copies, which includes 1.566 physical works and 1.749 NFT.
Damien Hirst series "Empresses" is an homage to 5 amazing women with a major relevance in history. Little known for western culture, their greatness is celebrated by Hirst.
Theodora was the most important Empress of the Byzantine era was married to Justinian I from 527 until her death in 548. Despite her humble origins, along with her husband, Theodora is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Oriental Orthodox Church. Even she did not rule officially Theodora was said to be the ruler on the shades and was definitely the partner in deliberations for her husband who took her wise and certain advise in key situations of their reign.
Damien Hirst's Theodora depicts an apparently chaos of butterflies that is nothing as such. This composition represents the female gender symbol. Taking a closer look, there are glittering red lines that divide the work in three half horizontally and the work is clearly symmetrical to the vertical line. The paired butterflies on the center top create a circle and the pair of butterflies at the lower margin simulate an horizontal line, both forms merge with the vertical visual line.
Theodora encouraged policies that benefited women such as illegalizing trafficking of girls. Justinian I dictaminated laws that set the death penalty for rape, expanded the rights of women in and property ownership, gave mothers some guardianship rights over their children, and forbid the killing of a wife who committed adultery, all of them under Theodoras involvement.
