Agrippina neronis cesaris matre · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Agrippina neronis cesaris matre
Subject: Nero; Claudius; Emperors; Assassination; Important Women; Famous Women; Agrippina
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Italy; Ancient Rome
Description: This engraving depicts multiple events. The left side of the engraving depicts Agrippina poisoning her husband Claudius with mushrooms. Agrippina is illustrated wearing a crown and holding a plate of mushrooms as she presents them to Claudius. Agrippina’s son, Nero, is depicted standing in between Agrippina and Claudius as he watches his stepfather being poisoned. Agrippina poisoned Claudius to obtain power for herself and make her son emperor. The right side of the engraving in the foreground depicts Agrippina kneeling as she gives Claudius more poison (the mushrooms did not kill him). The background of the engraving depicts Nero as emperor, looking at his mother’s dead, naked body. He began to resent her after becoming emperor, and after having her murdered, he observed her dead body and judged it before cremating it. Nero is depicted wearing a crown and holding a scepter, with a man beside him holding a cremation urn.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:18231
Language: lat
Source Name: Iohannis Bocacij in librum de claris mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1487 Leuven
Image: mta_18231_OBJ.png