[Title Page – Celestina and Melibea] · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: [Title Page – Celestina and Melibea]
Subject: Spanish romances; Celestina (Fictitious character); Melibea (Fictitious character); Beds; Robes; Veils; Persuasion; Love
Period: 1500-1550;
Geographic: Italy; Venice (Italy); Republic of Venice
Description: Celestina (rightmost figure) is pictured with a younger woman, likely Melibea (leftmost figure). The two appear to having a conversation in a bedroom (as indicated by the bed in the background). This could represent the scene in which Celestina persuades Melibea to reveal her love for Calisto, whereupon Celestina proposes that she meet with Calisto at midnight. Both figures are depicted wearing robes, and Celestina is wearing a veil. The text in the image reads Vetula cauda scorpionis in Latin. This transates to old scorpion’s tail, a foreboding allusion to the harm Celestina’s actions will cause. [This illustration is unique in this edition, since the other two illustrations make up the remaining 16 prints (eight instances of each).]
Image Creator: Cesare Arrivabene (Cesaro Arriuabeno) (Printer)
Type: StillImage
Identifier: mta:18608
Language: lat
Source Name: Celestina; Tragicomedia de Calisto e Melibea nouamente tradocta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma. Aggiontoui di nouo tutto quello ch(?) fin al giorno presente li manchaua. Da poi ogni altra impressione nouissimamente correcta : distincta ordenada : & in piu comoda forma reducta : adorna da etiam di molte bellissime figure : segondo el numero di soi acti : con le persone etia a dicti acti conueniente : le qual cose nelle alter impressione non si troua.
Parent Collection: 1519 Venice Arrivabene
Image: mta_18608_OBJ.png

Media: mta_18608_OBJ.png