woodcut

In the lower half of the image, Trojans and Greeks fight. In the top middle of the fight scene, Aeneas raises his battle ax and another soldier, Iopeus, whose name was either invented by Brant or misspelled past the point of recognition, holds out his spear against Androgeos, who falls back confused, since he mistook Aeneas' men as allies (370-82). In front of them, Iphitus and Chorebus attack more Greek soldiers (386-98). Though it is not apparent here, the Trojan soldiers have taken up Greek arms in order to disguise themselves and create confusion (386-98). Toward the right, Greeks flee to the safety of the wooden horse, while one runs toward a ship (399-401). Behind the fighting, the city of Troy burns, and beyond the city, hills and the sea fill out the rest of the landscape. (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 170r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the middle right, Panthus, the priest of Apollo runs carrying sacred objects in his hand and dragging a young boy, his grandson, along the ground (318-21). According to Vergil, he runs to the house of Aeneas, to announce that the Greeks are attacking and destroying the city (323-35). In the foreground, Aeneas, Coroebus [Chorebs], Ripheus [Ripeus], and Epytus [Iphitus], set out to fight the Greeks (339-42). In the middle ground, on the left, a crowd of soldiers is seen fighting one another with spears. In the background, the city of Troy burns (352), and a few diminutive figures hold out their arms in distress. In the lower right corner, a drooping flower is quite prominent. (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 168v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

The ghost of Hector, bearded, bloodied, and dressed in extremely tattered rags, hovers in front of sleeping Aeneas, who is shown lying on an awkwardly foreshortened bed (270-9). Hector appears to Aeneas in a vision warning him of the city's impending doom and urging him to flee (279-97). The house of Aeneas looms large on the right side of the illustration, surrounded by a small city wall, though Vergil describes the house as being far from the turmoil (299-300). In the small space between the house and the wall, in the center of the image, a soldier kills another, which represents the fighting going on in another part of the city. Behind them, at the top of the image, buildings burn, as Hector mentions in line 289. In the top left corner, the ghost of Hector, dressed as a priest, brings fillets (ritual headbands) and the sacred fire of the goddess Vesta from the inner shrine, which is shown to be outside the city walls (296-7). (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 166v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In this image, the Greeks begin their nighttime attack on Troy. In the middle right, the ships, led by Agamemnon, have made their way back to the Trojan shore from Tenedos (254-6). Sinon has unlatched the door to the wooden horse, and the warriors are climbing out (257-9). Among the warriors are Sthenelus [Sthenelaus], Neoptolemus [here called Pyrrhus], Ulisses, and Menelaus (261-64), some of the best warriors among all the Greeks. Behind the horse, some Greeks kill the watchmen (265), while more Greek soldiers wait at the gate to be let into the city (266-8). There are fires in many of the watch towers and tall buildings, an additional clue that the city is in distress, though Virgil has not yet mentioned fire. (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 166r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the middle left, Laocoon lies dead, after being killed by serpents (199-224). The long tails of the two serpents can be seen sticking out from behind the shield of the armored statue of Pallas Athena (225-7), to the right of the wooden horse. The Trojans, taking these events as a sign that Laocoon angered the goddess by attempting to harm the horse (228-31), bring the horse into the city, to the temple of Pallas (234-8). To the lower left, men stand near the back wheels, guiding it, while in front of the horse, youths pull it forward with ropes (235-9). Around the entrance to the city, Trojans wear garlands on their heads in celebration. In the lower right-hand corner, Cassandra, cursed so that her prophecies are never believed, attempts in vain to warn Priam that the horse is dangerous (246-7). (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 164v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

On the right side of the image, Sinon stands with Priam, surrounded by a crowd of Trojans (145-194). In the left middle, a pair of serpents strangle Laocoon and his two sons (199-233). The two writhing arms of the serpent are sufficiently terrifying but the one head is rather tame. Laocoon wears a priest's cap with a crescent, to represent his role as priest of Neptune (201-2). A bull, standing on the shore, is surrounded by flames, a representation of the sacrifice Laocoon was making (201-2) . (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 162v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In this scene, the Trojans are uncertain what to do with the wooden horse. Below the horse, on either side, a crowd of Trojans ponders what to do with the horse (38). Laocoon, to the right of the horse, hurls his javelin at the horse, in an attempt to discover whether anything might be inside (40-53). Laocoon wears a cap with a crescent, to represent his role as priest of Neptune (201-2). Behind the horse, the Trojans lead a Greek captive, Sinon, to King Priam. Sinon, named in line 79, was left by the Greeks to be captured so he could plant a story with the Trojans (57-76; his tale is 77-144). (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 159r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In this image, the Greeks are setting up the trap of the Trojan Horse. In the foreground, Greek warriors, selected for their strength and courage, climb up into a wooden horse that the Greeks have built (13-20). In the background, to the left, the Greek ships have sailed away to Tenedos to hide, so that the Trojans think they have left (21-25). To the right is the city of Troy, which sets the scene. Outside the city, in the middle ground, a group of Trojans wonder at the abandoned Greek tents (26-8). (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 156v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In this image, Dido has put on a grand banquet for Aeneas and his men. The feast takes place in the royal banquet hall (631-642). Vergil describes a palace filled with gold and silver wares and purple fabrics (639-42), and though Vergil does not describe the architecture, one might picture spacious marble halls. Instead, Brant sets the scene in the kind of palace that would be most common in 16th-century Germany. Dido's banquet hall has thick brick walls and a small decorative column. Inside the banquet hall, Aeneas and Dido are seated at the head of the table; Bitias, one of Dido's courtiers, is seated to the right of her. To the left of Aeneas is a set of shelves with ancestral trophies, perhaps a representation of the deeds of Dido's ancestors (640-3). The feast is finished and Dido is asking Aeneas to tell his story (752-6). At the foot of the table, Iopas the bard holds a lyre (740-1). Outside the hall, several scenes are shown at once. Ascanius waits in the ship for news (643-6). Achates stands on the shore and calls to Ascanius. Between the boat and Achates, winged Venus flies off with Ascanius. Her son, Eros, stands in the banquet hall disguised as Ascanius, bearing gifts (695-6) and holding two arrows under his arm. Venus has sent Eros in place of Ascanius to awake in Dido's heart a passionate desire for Aeneas (673-88). (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 151r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

On the right, Aeneas and Achates approach Dido (588-94), who has just received the lost men of Aeneas. These men, who include Cloanthus and Ilioneus, unlabeled, stand in the center of the image with a few of Dido's attendants; they stand in front of the Temple of Juno. Behind the temple of Juno, a man drives livestock, possibly a representation of those mentioned in line 633-5 (Nec minus intereā sociīs ad lītora mittit/vīgintī taurōs, magnōrum horrentia centum/terga suum, pinguīs centum cum mātribus agnōs). There appear to be a few oxen and possibly a pig. On the left, men arrive at Aeneas's ships to tell Ascanius the good news (645-6), which is that Dido has welcomed them generously. In the lower left corner is a ship that represents Aeneas's lost ships, the ones led by Cloanthus, Ilioneus and the others. Below Dido and Aeneas is a representation of a city wall. (Katy Purington)

Woodcut illustration from the “Strasbourg Vergil,” edited by Sebastian Brant: Publii Virgilii Maronis Opera cum quinque vulgatis commentariis expolitissimisque figuris atque imaginibus nuper per Sebastianum Brant superadditis (Strasbourg: Johannis Grieninger, 1502), fol. 149r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.