De Aragnes · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture · Center for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Aragnes
Subject: Famous Women; Weaving; Minerva; Suicide; Transformation; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology; Arachne; Important Women
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Asia Minor; Colophon; Lydia
Description: This engraving depicts Arachne killing herself by means of hanging. We know that this is Arachne as her name is engraved beside her body. There is a loom on the right-hand side of the engraving and a net to the left of the loom. Boccaccio explains in his story that Arachne is known by ancient writers as being the one who discovered the uses of woven wool and the first to make nets. Arachne became too confident in her wool work and challenged Minerva to a weaving competition. After the goddess had won, Arachne hung herself, as depicted in the engraving. There is a spider on a spider-web on the left-hand side of the engraving, as Arachne is said to have been transformed into a spider after this event.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:14490
Language: spa
Source Name: De Las Mujeres Ilustres [On Famous Women]
Parent Collection: 1494 Mujeres Ilustres
Image: mta_14490_OBJ.png