Cy apres sensuit hystoire de Samiamire feme messane · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Cy apres sensuit hystoire de Samiamire feme messane
Subject: Soaemias; Elagabalus; Important Women; Famous Women; Roman Senate
Period: 1400-1450;
Geographic: Ancient Rome; Italy
Description: This image depicts Soaemias, a Greek woman, sitting in the middle of a meeting of the Roman senate with her son, Elagabalus, as Roman emperor. She is wearing a crown to symbolize her status as the emperor’s mother. Elagabalus is possibly the figure wearing blue as he appears to be the most regally dressed, although there is no crown or other signifier to identify him as emperor. Elagabalus would not have become emperor without his mother’s help, so he granted her the ability to have authority and did nothing without her consent. This image is highly significant as she was the first woman to have a seat among the Roman senate and discuss her opinions and views on what must be done.
Image Creator: Master of Boethius (Illuminator)
Type: Text; Illumination
Identifier: mta:25592
Language: frm
Source Name: Des cleres et nobles femmes, De claris mulieribus in an anonymous French translation
Parent Collection: 1410 Paris
Image: mta_25592_OBJ.jpg