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Title
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De Marianne iudeon regina
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Description
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This engraving appears in the chapter that discusses Queen Mariamne of Judaea. Mariamne was the wife of King Herod the Great and she is renowned for her unparalleled beauty. Boccaccio explains that King Herod was so jealous and protective of Mariamne, that he did not want her to outlive him. He devised a plan for someone to murder Mariamne if he were to die before her, so that no one else could have her. The left side of the engraving depicts Herod, with his name spelled as Herodes at the bottom of the image, speaking with the man standing in front of him. This is presumably the person he confided with to arrange for Mariamne’s murder should he perish. The right side of the engraving depicts Mariamne kneeling before Herod as she embraces her execution. Rumours had spread that Mariamne was planning to give Herod poison in retaliation for finding out about his assassination plot against her. The executioner is standing behind Mariamne with a sword and the name Mariahves written below her feet. There is an additional unidentified figure standing in between Herod and the executioner.
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Image Creator
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Anonymous (Engraver)
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Identifier
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mta:26139
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Source Name
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De Claris Mulieribus
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Image
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mta_26139_OBJ.jpg
mta_26139_OBJ.jpg