De Jocasta thebarum regina · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Jocasta thebarum regina
Subject: Jocasta; Greek Mythology; Incest; Oedipus
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Thebes; Corinth
Description: Queen Jocasta of Thebes is depicted on the left-hand side of the engraving rubbing the tears away from her eyes with a shawl. She is crying because her husband exposed their child into the wilderness due to a prophecy which foretold the baby would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. Her child, Oedipus, is depicted lying on the ground after being exposed. There is a shepherd approaching the baby as he takes him in and raises him as his own. Oedipus’ name is engraved beside his arm. Oedipus ends up killing his father later in life, and marries his mother, Jocasta. When Jocasta and Oedipus find out they are mother and son, Oedipus gouges out his eyes and Jocasta kills herself. This scene is depicted on the right-hand side of the engraving with Jocasta and Oedipus’ names engraved above their heads to identify them.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:11923
Language: lat
Source Name: De Claris Mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1473 Ulm
Image: mta_11923_OBJ.jpg