De la mujer de Drigiaguntes rey de los Galatas · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De la mujer de Drigiaguntes rey de los Galatas
Subject: Famous Women; Important Queens; Vengeance; Rape; Important Women
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Asia Minor
Description: This engraving depicts the queen of the Galatians standing on the left side of the image holding a decapitated head. This woman’s name is unknown; however, she is the wife of King Drigiagon (whose name is engraved beside her head). After being taken as a captive by Roman enemies, the Galatian woman was defiled by a Roman centurion. This is depicted on the right side of the engraving as the queen is bound by a chain on her left hand while the centurion is putting his hand up her dress. She is illustrated looking away and fighting back as he forces himself onto her. To seek her vengeance, once she was freed through ransom, she ordered her servant to decapitate the man who raped her. The Galatian woman is holding the severed head as she presents it to her husband to prove that she was defiled by this man. Boccaccio explains that she wrote on this woman to highlight her daring and courageous nature.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:16709
Language: spa
Source Name: De Las Mujeres Ilustres [On Famous Women]
Parent Collection: 1494 Mujeres Ilustres; 1494 Mujeres Ilustres
Image: mta_16709_OBJ.png
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Famous Women; Important Queens; Vengeance; Rape; Important Women