Von Olimpiade die künigin in macedonia · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Von Olimpiade die künigin in macedonia
Subject: Famous Women; Important Women; Important Queens; Cleopatra; King Philip II; Assassination; Olympias
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Epirus; Macedon
Description: This engraving depicts Olympias of Macedon on the right side of the engraving approaching a man hanging on a cross. We know that this figure is Olympias as her name is engraved beside her body. The man being crucified is Pausanias, a man who helped Olympias with the murder of King Philip of Macedon (husband to Olympias). Boccaccio explains that Olympias placed the golden crown that Pausanias is wearing on his head to honour him and reward him for the assassination. Along with getting her husband murdered, she also had her husband’s new wife and child murdered out of anger. Cleopatra, King Philips other wife, is pictured on the left side of the engraving hanging by her neck on a tree. Her name is engraved above her head. Cleopatra’s child is depicted sitting on the ground as one of Olympias’ servants is bashing her head with a rock.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:18043
Language: ger
Source Name: Hyenach volget der kurcz syn von ettlichen frauen von denen johannes boccacius in latein beschriben hat und doctor heinricus stainhöwel geteütschet [Following the short stories of several women of which Giovanni Boccaccio wrote in Latin, and doctor Heinrich Steinhöwel translated]
Parent Collection: 1473 Augsburg
Image: mta_18043_OBJ.png

Media: mta_18043_OBJ.png