Scylla schneidt irem Vatter das har ab

Title

Scylla schneidt irem Vatter das har ab

Period

1550-1600;

Geographic

Attica

Megara

Athens

Ancient Greece

Description

This engraving illustrates Scylla, the daughter of King Nisus of Megara, betraying her father by helping King Minos of Crete. While King Minos had been attacking the city of Megara, Scylla had fallen in love with him while watching the battles from afar. She decided her love for King Minos was worth betraying her father and her city. She cut off a piece of her father’s magical purple hair which kept him safe from harm and handed it over to King Minos. Scylla is depicted offering her father’s hair to King Minos, but King Minos’ face is turned away in disgust with his hand gesturing for her to leave him. Despite King Minos being the enemy of Megara, he found Scylla’s actions deplorable. The sky in the engraving shows a moon and stars to illustrate that Scylla brought the hair to Minos in the middle of the night.

Image Creator

Virgil Solis (Engraver)

Type

Text

Woodcut Engraving

Identifier

mta:22829

Language

ger

Source Name

P. Ouidij Nasonis, deß Sinnreichen und hochverstendigen Poeten, Metamorphoses oder Verwandlung, mit schönen figuren gezieret, auch kurzen Argumenten und außlegungen erkläret, und in Teutsche Reymen gebracht, durch Johann Spreng von Augspurg [Publius Ovidius Naso, the Ingenious and Highly Understandable Poet, Metamorphoses or Transformations, Adorned with Beautiful Images, and also descriptions of Short Arguments and Explanations, Brought into German Rhymes by Johann Spreng of Augsburg]

Parent Collection

1564 Frankfurt Spreng

Image

mta_22829_OBJ.jpg

Collection

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Subject

Scylla

King Nisus

King Minos

Betrayal

Roman Mythology

Greek Mythology