De Armonia sicula gelonis filia · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Armonia sicula gelonis filia
Subject: Harmonia; Murder; Important Women
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Italy; Syracuse
Description: This engraving depicts a young servant girl getting stabbed in the chest with a sword by a man standing above her. This young servant girl is disguised to look exactly like Harmonia, the daughter of Gelon (brother to the king of Syracuse). Boccaccio explains that there was a rebellion in Syracuse against nobility, and before the murderers could get to Harmonia, her nurse disguised this young woman to look like Harmonia. The real Harmonia is depicted on the left side of the engraving. Her name, written as Armonia, is engraved above her head in order to identify her. There is a man swinging a sword above his head which appears to be heading in Harmonia’s direction, however, Boccaccio explains that Harmonia hid from the murderers until they killed the look-alike servant.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:12124
Language: lat
Source Name: De Claris Mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1473 Ulm
Image: mta_12124_OBJ.png