Yside der Künigin und Göttin in Egypten · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Yside der Künigin und Göttin in Egypten
Subject: Isis; Important Women; Famous Women; Gods; Goddesses; Heifers; Argus; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology
Period: 1500-1550;
Geographic: Ancient Egypt; Ancient Greece
Description: This engraving illustrates the story of Isis and Jupiter. Jupiter is depicted wearing a wreath on his head while he looks lovingly at Isis. Isis is illustrated with a sad expression on her face. Boccaccio explains that Jupiter transformed her into a cow and gave her as a gift to Juno in order to hide his crime of raping her. The god Mercury saved Isis by killing Argus, Isis’ 100 eyed guardian. Mercury is on the left side of the engraving piercing the body of Argus with his sword. Isis is visible in the background of the engraving on the left side sitting on a ship. She sailed to Egypt after being transformed back into her human form. The sail on the ship has a heifer emblem to signify her transformation into a cow.
Image Creator: Joerg Breu (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:18251
Language: ger
Source Name: Ein schöne Cronica oder Hystoribuch von den fürnämlichsten Weybern [A beautiful chronicle or history book of reputable women]
Parent Collection: 1543 Stayner; 1543 Stayner
Image: mta_18251_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Isis; Important Women; Famous Women; Gods; Goddesses; Heifers; Argus; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology