Cy apres sensuit de portie de cathon utitence fille · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Cy apres sensuit de portie de cathon utitence fille
Subject: Marcus Cato; Important Women; Famous Women; Noble Women; Brutus; Julius Caesar; Conspiracies; Assassination; Portia
Period: 1400-1450;
Geographic: Italy; Ancient Rome
Description: This illumination depicts Portia, the daughter of Marcus Cato and the wife of Brutus, swallowing a hot piece of coal to kill herself. Brutus was one of the people involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar. When Brutus told Portia of the conspiracy, she took a barber’s knife and stabbed her foot with it. She does this to prepare herself in case she has to kill herself should the conspiracy not work out in Brutus’ favour. Brutus eventually dies, and all Portia had to kill herself with was hot coal which is why she is depicted swallowing this in the image.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Illuminator)
Type: Text; Illumination
Identifier: mta:18508
Language: frm
Source Name: Livre que fist Jehan BOCACE de Certalde des cleres et nobles femmes, lequel il envoia à Audice de Accioroles de Florence, contesse de Haulteville [Book from Giovanni Boccaccio of Certaldo called the cleric and noble women, of which he sent to Audice Accioroles of Florence, Countess of Haulteville]
Parent Collection: 1401 Florence; 1401 Florence
Image: mta_18508_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Marcus Cato; Important Women; Famous Women; Noble Women; Brutus; Julius Caesar; Conspiracies; Assassination; Portia

Media: mta_18508_OBJ.jpg