Vergil

Pallas holds the hand of Aeneas in a gesture of good will and leads him to King Evander (124). In Vergil, Evander is still in the grove, and Pallas and Aeneas go to him there, leaving the river (125). In the image, however, Evander approaches them near the shore. After Aeneas and Evander exchange speeches agreeing to an alliance (126-71), Evander points toward the top of the image, where the feast has finished and a few men still sit at the table in front of empty dishes (172-4). On the right, a few bulls wait to be sacrificed on the freshly lit altar to renew the rites of the festival (175-83). (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. 313v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Aeneas arrives with his two ships at Pallanteum (107-8). The city, shown at the top center, does not have very large walls, and its towers are not very tall, indicating that the city is well-built with necessary defenses, but without any excess. When Aeneas arrives, Evander is holding a ritual sacrifice to Hercules in a sacred grove, attended by his son Pallas [Palas], and the top men of his city (102-6). Upon seeing the strangers approach their shore, the men have stopped eating (107-10). Pallas has run to a high mound above the shore, and even before the strangers disembark, he points his spear at them and begins questioning Aeneas (110-4). Aeneas holds out an olive branch in an offering of alliance with King Evander (115-20). This image is one of a handful that have some degree of color beyond the usual black and white. Pigments of brown and green have been used to color in the legs of Aeneas, the clothing and hat of Pallas, the hat of one prominent citizen, and the coat of another. The coloring was most likely added to the image at a later date. (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. 312v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the lower middle of the image, Aeneas lies sleeping by the ships (26-30). The River God Tiber appears to him in a dream, wearing a wreath of poplar leaves and a light flowing garment (31-5). He reassures Aeneas that he is meant to found a city here and tells Aeneas to look for a white sow with thirty piglets as proof of the prophecy (36-49). He points, urging Aeneas to sail to Pallanteum, which may be the city in the upper right corner (51-64). To the lower left, Aeneas and a crew have boarded one of two ships that will make the journey up the river to Pallanteum (79-80). In the upper left, Aeneas stands holding an axe between a large altar and a sow with a litter of thirty offspring. He prepares to sacrifice the pigs to Juno, in an attempt to appease the goddess's anger (81-5).  (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. 310v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the lower left of the image, two heralds stand in front of Laurentum, the city ruled by Turnus, and blow horns to alert the region of impending war (2-6). Within Laurentum, which is the large walled city in the upper left of the image, someone has raised the flag of war, bearing a dragon (1-2). On the left, a handful of soldiers led by Venulus set out toward Argyripa, the city of Diomedes, to bring news of Aeneas and seek an alliance (9-17). The two ships in the background might belong to Aeneas. (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. 309v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

This image illustrates the catalogue of the Italians who fought in the Latin war. In the lower right, Mezentius is shown mounted on his horse, and to his left, his son Lausus (647-54). Their standard is a scorpion. In the lower left is Aventinus, who is said to be beautiful, but his entire upper body is covered in the lion-skin of Hercules, which obscures his face. His men carry javelins, and his standard and shield bear the symbol of the hydra (655-69). On the right, above Mezentius, is a group of soldiers led by twin brothers Catillus and Coras. On their standard is a centaur, because Vergil compares their fighting style to the stampede of centaurs (670-7).

In the upper right corner, the general whose name banner is smudged must be Caeculus, king of Praeneste, whose standard is probably meant to be a wolf, in reference to the wolf-skin caps worn by his men (678-90). To his left is Messapus, whose standard-bearer, next to him, carries a standard with an emblem of swans, the animal to which Vergil compares Messapus' troops (691-705). Next to the left comes Clausus, linked to the Claudian dynasty (706-22), whose standard is a more official looking symbol, perhaps a griffin or an eagle. Directly behind him, Umbro bears a banner of snakes, symbolizing his race's ability to enchant snakes (750-60). To his immediate left is Virbius, son of Hippolytus, the only general in this image without a standard (761-82).

In the upper left corner is Halaesus [Alesus], in a sturdy war car; the tree in his standard represents the fertility of the land he governs (723-32). Between Virbius and Halaesus, Camilla rides ready for battle, with long flowing hair marking her as female; her standard has two arrows, signifying a bow and arrow as her weapon of choice (803-17). To the left, below Halaesus, stands Ufens; his standard is a boar, potentially a reference to his race's skill at hunting in the woods (744-9). To the right of Ufens is a general labelled Cetalus, which must be a mislabelling of Oebalus, general of the Sarrastians. His standard is a person holding what may be the artist's rendering of the cateia, an unknown weapon that Vergil mentions as a primary weapon of the Sarrastians. (733-43) In the center of the image, Turnus sits on the back of a well decorated horse. His helmet is elaborate, with the bust of a chimaera in place of a plume on top (783-802). His standard is also a chimaera, and he is flanked by a cavalry soldier and two foot soldiers. (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. 305r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Latinus sits on his throne in front of the gates of war, near the statue of Janus, and with great displeasure he hears the men who have come to his city asking for war (585-90). It is interesting that Turnus is not pictured, since he is instrumental in gathering the men who are rallying in support of the war (577-9). Behind Latinus to the left, Juno opens the gates of war, which are depicted as wooden doors in a giant double arch (601-22). Behind him to the right, men sound the war trumpets (628). In the top right corner, mounted cavalry bear a standard with a symbol of a bird. In the foreground the preparations for war have begun: men hammer out weapons on an anvil (629-36), while another sharpens blades on a grindstone (627). A sword, a pair of greaves and a pair of battle axes lie on the ground, all freshly made (629-36).  (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. 303v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Allecto, with her fiery wings and snakes for hair, has flown up to the heavens to tell Juno of her success (540-51). Juno, sitting in her throne, turns her face away from Allecto; one hand points at Allecto, and the other points toward the mouth of the underworld, which is positioned directly below Allecto. Her movements may indicate her telling Allecto to stop with her exploits in Italy and to return immediately to the underworld (552-60). The mouth of the underworld, shaped like the head of a dragon, exhales sulfurous fire and smoke, which seems to almost swallow the lower half of Allecto's garment. In the image, the mouth of the underworld is positioned to the right of a small pool, that appears to be rippled by a small amount of disturbance. According to Vergil, this entrance to Dis is located in a cavern in the midst of a torrenting river, in the middle of a dark dense forest (563-70).  (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. 302v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Ascanius, shown with his bow, has shot a stag (496-9), who was raised by Tyrrhus and his sons and kept as a pet by their sister Silvia (482-92). The stag, with an arrow lodged in his neck, returns home to his owner (500-2). Tyrrhus and his sons, at the bottom of the image, arm to fight the one who killed the stag. Allecto, sitting on top of the barn roof, sounds a curved horn, rousing the country-folk from the surrounding area to attack Ascanius (511-22). Some are armed with farming implements, while others carry weapons of war. Almo [Almon], the eldest son of Tyrrhus, is killed by an arrow, and Galaesus [Galesus] lies next to him (531-9). (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. 300v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

In the upper left, Allecto flies to the city of Ardea (408-13) which sits in the upper right. Within the city, she approaches the sleeping Turnus in a dream, which quickly becomes a nightmare. In the text, she appears first as the priestess of Juno and then takes her true form, in her efforts to goad Turnus to action (415-55). Brant's artist has portrayed her as a hybrid, with the headdress of a priestess but the wings and snakes of the Fury. She holds a torch to Turnus's back, which will cause him to wake from his nightmare (456-9). In the lower left, Turnus stands dressed in full armor with his night robe thrown on the ground behind him (460-2). He tells one of his chief warriors to arm for war (467-70).

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. 299r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Allecto, with snakes for hair and wings that appear to be made of fire, stands in the center of the image in front of Amata (341-4), who sits next to Latinus in the palace, while Lavinia stands next to them. Though Allecto is visible to the audience, she is invisible to the mortals in the image. A serpent, one of Allecto's, has curled itself around Amata's neck (345-53). Amata and Latinus both look at Lavinia, to indicate that they are discussing her. Amata pleads with her huband to marry Lavinia to Turnus instead of Aeneas (354-72). In the upper right corner, Amata feigns a Bacchic frenzy and brings Lavinia to the forest to hide her there (385-7). Two other matrons join in the Bacchic frenzy with Amata; one ties up her skirt, while the other holds what is probably supposed to be a thyrsus, a staff wrapped with ivy and vine-leaves and associated with Bacchus (392-6). Amata also carries a thyrsus, though in the text, she holds a blazing pine branch or torch (397-8). (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. 297v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.