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Title
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Von Tisbe der jungfrauen von babilonia
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Description
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This engraving depicts Thisbe, a young virgin from Babylon killing herself after finding her lover, Pyramus, already dead. Boccaccio explains that the two lovers were forbidden from being together, so they devised a plan to run away. Thisbe waited for Pyramus by the fountain depicted on the left-hand side of the engraving, when a lioness appeared. Thisbe ran into the woods, as depicted in the background on the right side of the image. The lioness, with a blood stained mouth, chewed on the cloak that Thisbe left behind after running. This is illustrated in the foreground of the engraving. Pyramus had then arrived at the meeting point, only to find the bloody cloak of Thisbe. Believing her to be dead, Pyramus killed himself with his sword. Pyramus is depicted in the foreground of the engraving, lying on the ground with his sword impaled through his chest. The creator engraved his name beside his leg to identify him. Thisbe found Pyramus as he was dying and impaled herself with the same sword in order to be with her lover. Her name is engraved above her left arm.
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Image Creator
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Anonymous (Engraver)
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Identifier
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mta:17967
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Source Name
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Hyenach volget der kurcz syn von ettlichen frauen von denen johannes boccacius in latein beschriben hat und doctor heinricus stainhöwel geteütschet [Following the short stories of several women of which Giovanni Boccaccio wrote in Latin, and doctor Heinrich Steinhöwel translated]
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Image
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mta_17967_OBJ.png
mta_17967_OBJ.png