Cy apres sensuit histoire de nyobe fille du roy tantale et royne des thebains · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Cy apres sensuit histoire de nyobe fille du roy tantale et royne des thebains
Subject: Important Queens; Hubris; Roman Mythology; Gods; Goddesses; Apollo; Diana; Latona; Niobe; Important Women; Famous Women
Period: 1400-1450;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Thebes
Description: This illustration depicts Niobe, queen of Thebes, on the right side of the image with her children and husband lying dead in front of her. Niobe had many sons and daughters with her husband which made her incredibly proud. Boccaccio explains that when the city of Thebes was making sacrifices to Latona, the mother of Apollo and Diana, Niobe declared that she was more worthy of the sacrifices than Latona because she had more children than her. Every one of Niobe’s children died of the plague as punishment for her hubris against the goddess. Niobe’s husband, King Amphion, killed himself after all their children died, which is why he is depicted laying among the dead children.
Image Creator: Master of Boethius (Illuminator)
Type: Text; Illumination
Identifier: mta:19825
Language: frm
Source Name: Des cleres et nobles femmes, De claris mulieribus in an anonymous French translation
Parent Collection: 1410 Paris; 1410 Paris
Image: mta_19825_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Important Queens; Hubris; Roman Mythology; Gods; Goddesses; Apollo; Diana; Latona; Niobe; Important Women; Famous Women