Nycostrata oder Carmenta der künigin auf Arcadien · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Nycostrata oder Carmenta der künigin auf Arcadien
Period: 1500-1550;
Geographic: Pallantium; Italy; Italian Peninsula
Description: This engraving depicts Nicostrata, a woman who was a famous prophetess during her time, holding a scroll of parchment. She is pictured wearing a crown and wearing a long dress. Nicostrata had gone with her son Evander to Italy and he founded the city of Pallantium. Boccaccio explains that once Nicostrata realized that the inhabitants of this city were not well educated or literate, she decided to give them their own language with their own letters and symbols. This was the Latin language. Nicostrata taught the new letters and language to the people of Pallantium, which is what the engraving depicts. There are people sitting on the ground on the left side of the image who are listening intently to the prophetess, as she is holding the parchment and teaching them the language. There is a mountainous background and a city pictured on the right side of the image behind Nicostrata.
Image Creator: Joerg Breu (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:18300
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_18300_OBJ.png
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Nicostrata; Important Women; Famous Women; Latin Language; Roman Mythology; Prophets

Media: mta_18300_OBJ.png