Vergil

At Carthage, a priest wearing ceremonial ribbons, or fillets, on his head sacrifices a sheep on the altar (57-9). Dido, with her left hand, pours wine onto the head of a white heifer (60-1), while with her right hand, she points a stick at a set of disembodied entrails, reading them (63-4). Anna stands to the left of Dido, watching the sacrifice. On the right, Aeneas and Ascanius stand outside the temple with two others, a reminder of the reasons for Dido's sacrificing. (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. 211r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

On the left side of the image, workers build the city of Carthage in the background while in the foreground, Aeneas's ships sit empty in the harbor. On the right, under a portico, Dido stands talking with her sister, Anna, who is unlabelled (9-53). Dido covers her face, perhaps in shame or to wipe away tears (27, 30). Anna points toward Aeneas, the subject of their discussion, who sits on the other side of a window or doorway, unaware of them. (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. 208r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

At the harbor of Drepanum in Sicily, Anchises lies dying with a stretcher laid out next to him (707-11). The turban-like hat that he usually wears in Brant's illustrations lies beside him Four attendants surround him, one kneeling while the others stand in various postures of grief. On the left, Aeneas, still on his ship, stands with his hands raised either in prayer or in lamentation. (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. 206v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Polyphemus stands in the center of the image, using a large cut-down tree as a walking stick (659) and holding a boulder in his hand. He stands in the water far from the shore, yet the water does not even reach his knees. He chases the ships of Aeneas, which have taken Achaemenides on board, and they sail away as rapidly as possible to avoid the wrath of the Cyclops (666-9). An army of Cyclopes, on the left, appear out of the woods, roused by the shouts of Polyphemus, armed but not inclined to help him (675-9). The Cyclopes live on the island of Sicily. (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. 206r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

On the right, Achaemenides [Achimenides], a warrior from Ithaca who was left behind by Odysseus, approaches the Trojan ships. He reaches out as a suppliant (592-99) and begs them to take him away from the island of the Cyclopes (600-54). He is dressed in rags (593). The Trojans look upset and concerned. On the left, blind Polyphemus sits facing away from Achaemenides and the Trojans. Behind him his flock of sheep graze; sheep are an important element in Odysseus's encounter with Polyphemus. In Vergil's understanding of the world of Odysseus, the Cyclopes live on the island of Sicily. (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. 204r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Aeneas, in the ship in the top right, sails past Sicily. In the center of the image is the Giant Enceladus; his feet are pinned down by Lilybaeum [Libybus], the west corner of the island, his left hand sits under Pachynum [Pachinn], in the lower east corner, and his right hand is held down by Pelorus, in the upper east corner.  His head sits under Mt. Etna [Echna] (577-80), which is geographically situated between Pachynum and Pelorus. The giant spits smoke, fire and stones through the mouth of the volcano (570-7). Below the giant, two winds, one in each of the lower corners, blow into a cave, possibly a reference to the idea that Aeneas lands in the harbor opposite the winds (570-1). (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. 203r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

The ship of Aeneas has sailed past the Ceraunian mountains (506-7). Italy is in the top right corner (521-5). Palinurus, helmsman of Aeneas, stands in the crows nest, and rouses the sailors to rowing. Anchises, standing on the stern of the ship, pours an offering of wine into the sea (525-7). Far up on the shore stands the Temple of Minerva, a sign that they are near the shore of Calabria (Page 1967, 312 ad III 531). On the shore are four animals that are supposed to be white horses (537-8), which Anchises interprets as a sign of both war and peace (539-43). In the lower corners, Scylla and Charybdis, islands full of craggy rocks, are shown (551-560). The ships are about to face the dreaded Charybdis, which happens in lines 558-69. (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. 201r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Aeneas prepares to leave Epirus with his crew. In the center of the image, Helenus directs two attendants, carrying gifts, towards the ship of Aeneas (463-9), which is on the right. To the left, Andromache and an attendant present robes and other textiles to Ascanius (482-91). The illustrator has chosen to omit Anchises receiving his gifts; Vergil mentions these gifts only briefly (469-71). The city of Epirus is in the background. (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. 200r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

At Buthrotum, Aeneas addresses both Helenus and an idol of Apollo outside a shrine of Apollo (359-68). Helenus, wearing the clothes of a priest and wearing a fillet - religious headband - on his head, sacrifices two steers (369-73). Afterwards, not depicted, Helenus, in his role as seer, advises the next few steps necessary for Aeneas to successfully continue his journey (374-462). In the background to the left stand two men, likely Aeneas's followers, unidentified. (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. 197v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Aeneas and his people have landed at Buthrotum, a city in Epirus, ruled by Helenus, a son of Priam (292-5). Andromache sits in a grove near the city grieving beside the Tomb of Hector, an empty tomb set up in honor of her late husband (304). Vergil describes the tomb as a green mound with two altars; instead, Andromache lies next to either a double-sized altar or a casket-sized monument. In the taxt, Andromache and her attendants offer a ritual feast and gifts to the ghost of Hector (301-4); in the image, it is difficult to see if any of the three women are holding anything in their arms, but it appears that they hold nothing. The water on the left could possibly be the "false Simois" river that Vergil mentions in line 302. Aeneas and a small retinue approach Andromache, leaving the majority of his people, including Anchises and Ascanius, on the ships (300; 306-7). Andromache, seeing Trojan arms, speaks to Aeneas, and they begin an exchange (310-43) that is cut short when Helenus enters the scene and invites them up to the city (344-8). (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. 195r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.