De Polixena pami regis filia · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Polixena pami regis filia
Subject: The Trojan War; Achilles; Neoptolemus; Polyxena; Greek Mythology; Important Women
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Asia Minor; Ancient Greece; Troy
Description: This engraving depicts Polyxena, the daughter of king Priam of Troy, getting executed on top of Achilles’ grave. Polyxena is illustrated kneeling on the grave of Achilles with her hands crossed while looking up to the sky as she accepts her fate. Her name is engraved beside her body to identify her. Achilles’ name is engraved on the side of his tomb. The man about to execute Polyxena is Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. His name is engraved above his sword. Polyxena had lured Achilles into the temple of Apollo, where Paris shot Achilles with his arrow. Neoptolemus is the one to execute her as she is the one who is partly responsible for killing his father. Boccaccio explains that Polyxena did this through her mother’s instructions. Boccaccio explains that he wrote on Polyxena due to her fearlessness before her execution.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:11941
Language: lat
Source Name: De Claris Mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1473 Ulm
Image: mta_11941_OBJ.png