Aeneid

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.

Aeneas stands before two armies, bristling with lances in the background. The fallen Turnus, wearing the sword-belt of Pallas, has a sword in his the chest and over him flutters an owl. The engraving does not illustrate the verses XII 926f. with the wounding of Turnus in the thigh by the lance throw of Aeneas, but the closing verses XII 950-952.

Aeneas stößt- vor zwei lanzenstarrenden Heeren im Hintergrund- dem am Boden liegenden Turnus, der den Schwertgurt des Pallas trägt und über dem ein Käuzchen flatter, das Schwert in die Brust. Illustriert werdenalso nicht die Verse XII 926f. mit der Verwundung des Turnus am Oberschenkel durch den Lanzenwurf des Aeneas, sondern die Schlussverse XII 950-952. (Suerbaum)

Engraving from a German children’s picture-book version of the Aeneid by G. J. Lang and G. C. Eimmart, “A tapestry of Roman virtues as seen in Vergil’s Aeneas and his brave deeds, rendered in sparkling engravings, as illustrations of the remarkable deeds of antiquity, for the common benefit of noble youth,” (Peplus virtutum Romanarum in Aenea Virgiliano eiusque rebus fortiter gestis, ad maiorem antiquitatis et rerum lucem, communi iuventutis sacratae bono, aere renitens) (Nuremburg: J.L. Buggel, 1688), pl. 50.

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.

The wounded Aeneas, who has removed his armor, leans on a spear, surrounded by Achates, Mnestheus and (far left) Ascanius, while the doctor Iapyx prepares a bandage, and warriors (front right) look through a drug case. Behind the back of the doctor a hovering Venus approaches with the miraculous healing herb Dictamnum.

Eine figurenreiche Szene mit mindestens 10 Gestalten im Vordergrund: Der verwundete Aeneas, dem man die Rüstung ausgezogen hat, stützt sich, umgeben von Achates, Mnestheus und (ganz links) Ascanius auf eine Lanze, während der Arzt Iapyx einen Verband vorbereitet und Krieger (vorn rechts) in einem Arznei-Koffer suchen. Hinter dem Rücken des Arztes schwebt die Venus mit dem wundertätigen Heilkraut Dictamnum heran. (Suerbaum)

Engraving from a German children’s picture-book version of the Aeneid by G. J. Lang and G. C. Eimmart, “A tapestry of Roman virtues as seen in Vergil’s Aeneas and his brave deeds, rendered in sparkling engravings, as illustrations of the remarkable deeds of antiquity, for the common benefit of noble youth,” (Peplus virtutum Romanarum in Aenea Virgiliano eiusque rebus fortiter gestis, ad maiorem antiquitatis et rerum lucem, communi iuventutis sacratae bono, aere renitens) (Nuremburg: J.L. Buggel, 1688), pl. 49.

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.

This engraving shows fighting at the altar on which a fire is still burning; next to it a shocked priest stands. A rider misses a king, who has just fallen to the ground, with his lance. (This is probably not a Trojan attacking Latinus, but Messapus killing the Etruscan king Auletes.) Whether the warrior with the ax in his left hand at the altar is Aeneas is not clear.

Kampfgetümmel am Altar, auf dem noch ein Feuer brennt und neben dem ein entsetzter Priester steht. Ein Reiter verfehlt mit seiner Lanze einen zu Boden gestürzten König nur knapp. (Wahrscheinlich ist das kein Trojaner, der Latinus angreift, sondern Messapus, der den Etrusker Auletes tötet.) Ob der Krieger am Altar mit dem Beil in der Linken Aeneas sein soll, ist nicht klar. (Suerbaum)

Engraving from a German children’s picture-book version of the Aeneid by G. J. Lang and G. C. Eimmart, “A tapestry of Roman virtues as seen in Vergil’s Aeneas and his brave deeds, rendered in sparkling engravings, as illustrations of the remarkable deeds of antiquity, for the common benefit of noble youth,” (Peplus virtutum Romanarum in Aenea Virgiliano eiusque rebus fortiter gestis, ad maiorem antiquitatis et rerum lucem, communi iuventutis sacratae bono, aere renitens) (Nuremburg: J.L. Buggel, 1688), pl. 48.