De Medea regina colchon · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Medea regina colchon
Subject: Medea; The Golden Fleece; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology; Jason and the Argonauts
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Modern day Georgia; Colchis
Description: Jason of Thessaly and Medea of Colchis are illustrated riding on a horse together as they flee from Medea’s father, King Aeetes. Boccaccio explained that Medea betrayed her father by helping Jason on his task to find the Golden Fleece. Jason is seated at the front of the horse and Medea is riding behind him. We know that this is Jason and Medea as their names are engraved beside their heads in order to identify them. Medea is depicted holding a severed head in her left hand, which is the head of her brother, Aegialeus (his name is also engraved beside his head). Medea had dismembered her own brother and scattered his limbs around the road behind her and Jason in order to distract her father from pursuing them. King Aeetes is illustrated on the right-hand side of the engraving as he is picking up his son’s limbs.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:11916
Language: lat
Source Name: De Claris Mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1473 Ulm; 1473 Ulm
Image: mta_11916_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Medea; The Golden Fleece; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology; Jason and the Argonauts