Von Penthesilea der künigin amazonum · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Von Penthesilea der künigin amazonum
Subject: Penthesilea; Important Women; Famous Women; Important Queens; The Trojan War; Greek Mythology; Amazons
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Asia Minor; Troy
Description: This engraving depicts Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons, riding a horse into battle with her lance pointed towards her enemies. We know that this figure is Penthesilea as her name is engraved to beside her head. We also know that this is a woman as her long hair is sticking out from underneath her helmet. Penthesilea, as Boccaccio describes, was a great warrior. She wanted to secure a strong heir for the Amazons, so she sought out Hector of Troy to provide her with an heir. She fought in a battle against the Greeks to prove herself worthy of bearing Hectors child. The enemies she is fighting against in the image are the Greek soldiers in the Trojan War.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:17989
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; 1473 Augsburg
Image: mta_17989_OBJ.png
Collection: Early Modern Women
Subject: Penthesilea; Important Women; Famous Women; Important Queens; The Trojan War; Greek Mythology; Amazons

Media: mta_17989_OBJ.png