Cy sensuit histoire de penelope femme de ulixes · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Cy sensuit histoire de penelope femme de ulixes
Period: 1400-1450;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Ithaca
Description: This image depicts Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, weaving in the centre of the image as she waits for her husband to return from the Trojan War. Penelope had many suitors over the 20 years that she waited for Ulysses to return home; however, Boccaccio explains in his story that Penelope remained entirely faithful over the duration of his absence. Penelope told the suitors that she would continue to wait for her husband to return until she was done weaving a cloth, which is why she is depicted weaving in this image. Each night, she would undo all the weaving she had done that day so she could continue waiting for Ulysses. There are suitors to the right of Penelope looking at her. When Ulysses finally returned home, he had slain every suitor in his palace. Ulysses and his servants are depicted standing on the left side of the image as they swing their swords to kill Penelope’s suitors.
Image Creator: Master of Boethius (Illuminator)
Type: Text; Illumination
Identifier: mta:19936
Language: frm
Source Name: Des cleres et nobles femmes, De claris mulieribus in an anonymous French translation
Parent Collection: 1410 Paris; 1410 Paris
Image: mta_19936_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Ulysses; Important Women; Famous Women; Important Queens; The Trojan War; Greek Mythology; Chastity; Penelope