Eimmart: the death of Camilla

Cavalry Battle: Camilla falls from her horse, hit by a spear in the chest, and is caught by her companions; the mounted figure in the middle is obviously another Amazon.

Reiterschlacht: Camilla sinkt, von einem Speer in die Brust getroffen, vom Pferd und wird von ihren Gefährtinnen aufgefangen; die berittene Figur in der Mitte ist offenbar eine weitere Amazone. (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. 46.

Comments

While in pursuit of the Trojan priest Chloreus, Camilla has unknowingly been hunted by Arruns. In this scene Arruns has shot her, and may even be depicted in the left hand background as the man fleeing on a horse. At 804-606 the cowardly Arruns is described as running away before he can be seen or caught by Camilla’s entourage. (Lucy McInerney)

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Brant: Venus and Jupiter

In the lower right corner, Venus complains to Jupiter about the hardships suffered by Aeneas and the Trojans and begs him to reaffirm his plan for their destiny (223-53). He does so in lines 254-96. In the upper left, Aeneas sits at a table with two men with something laid out in front of them - possibly venison, since there is a pair of antlers by Aeneas. There is a city in the top right corner, probably Carthage. The rest of the image is filled with rolling hills, healthy trees, and a spring flowing into a stream, which give off a sense of abundance. (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. 133r, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Comments

Sebastian Brant (1458­­–1521) was a humanist scholar of many competencies. Trained in classics and law at the University of Basel, Brant later lectured in jurisprudence there and practiced law in his native city of Strasbourg. While his satirical poem Das Narrenschiff won him considerable standing as a writer, his role in the transmission of Virgil to the Renaissance was at least as important. In 1502 he and Strasbourg printer Johannes Grüninger produced a major edition of Virgil’s works, along with Donatus’ Life and the commentaries of Servius, Landino, and Calderini, with more than two hundred woodcut illustrations (Annabel Patterson).

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Eimmart: Camilla kills a soldier

Camilla lunges at the vanguard of the enemy riders and thrusts her lance in the chest of an unarmored mounted opponent.

Camilla stürzt sich an der Spitze ihrer Reiterinnen auf die Feinde und stößt einem ungepanzerten berittenen Gegner die Lanze in die Brust. (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. 45.

Comments

Camilla takes up almost the entire second half of Book XI. This engraving corresponds to XI 648ff, Camilla’s entrance into the action of the fighting. She carries Diana’s golden quiver, described at 652, and wears a purple cloak (714-715), wielding a javelin in this scene. Behind her are two more of the “Italides,” or daughters of Italy, as they are called at 657. To her left is probably Tarpeia, who is described by Virgil as carrying a bronze axe (656), which can be seen attached to her waist, although here she wields a studded mace. Camilla is in the act of stabbing an opponent, possible Eunaeus, who is described at 666-667 as having an “exposed chest.” (Lucy McInerney)

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Brant: Portus Libycus

After landing at a secluded rocky harbor on the coast of Libya (157-158; harbor described in detail 159-168), the Trojans prepare a meal. In the background Aeneas shoots several deer from a herd that has crossed his path while he and Achates look along the coast for more survivors of the storm (lines 180-186). Below the ships, one man holds wine in wineskins salvaged from the ships (195-198), while a few others offload barrels of something, perhaps the grains mentioned in lines 177-9. In the right foreground someone roasts venison [note the deer antlers] (210-3); in the right corner, a Trojan mourns, representing the mourning of lost comrades at lines 217-222. On the left, a group of Trojans gathers around a fountain, feasting on a leg of venison. (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. 130v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Comments

Sebastian Brant (1458­­–1521) was a humanist scholar of many competencies. Trained in classics and law at the University of Basel, Brant later lectured in jurisprudence there and practiced law in his native city of Strasbourg. While his satirical poem Das Narrenschiff won him considerable standing as a writer, his role in the transmission of Virgil to the Renaissance was at least as important. In 1502 he and Strasbourg printer Johannes Grüninger produced a major edition of Virgil’s works, along with Donatus’ Life and the commentaries of Servius, Landino, and Calderini, with more than two hundred woodcut illustrations (Annabel Patterson).

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Eimmart: Battle Scene

This engraving depicts the thick of the battle with warriors on foot, and one horse lying on the ground at the left. Some of the people are not safe to identify, for instance Aeneas never swings a lance against Mezentius. It is most likely the scene at X 794ff., in which Lausus protects his wounded father Mezentius with his sword and shield against the enemy, Aeneas.

Schlachtgetümmel unter Kriegern zu Fuß, doch liegt links ein Pferd am Boden. Bestimmte Personen sind nicht sicher zu identifizieren, jedenfalls schwingt Aeneas keine Lanze gegen Mezentius. Am ehesten handelt es sich um die Szene X 794ff., in der Lausus seinen verwundeten Vater Mezentius gegen den mit dem Schwert andringenden Aeneas mit den Schild schützt. (Suerbaum, p. 440)

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. 44.

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Eimmart: Turnus takes Pallas' sword belt

Turnus robs the slain Pallas of his sword belt. There are foot soldiers, riders and a chariot with charioteer in the background.

Turnus raubt dem erschlagenen Pallas den Schwertgurt; im Hintergrund Fußsoldaten, Reiter und ein Zweigespann mit Wagenlenker. (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. 43.

 

Comments

The death of Pallas is a very important moment in the Aeneid, not least because Turnus seals his own fate with his brutal treatment of the young Arcadian. Turnus and Pallas are very clearly the main subject of this engraving, with the background drawn in with lighter lines to make the central pair pop out. Turnus is in the act of robbing the dead Pallas of his sword belt. The placement of his foot on Pallas’ stomach emphasizes the brutality of the whole episode. Turnus certainly comes off at his worst in this scene, ordering his troops to stand aside as he kills Pallas himself and declaring that he wished Evander could be there to witness the death of his son (cuperem ipse parens spectator adesset, X. 443). In the middleground are the troops of Turnus, and in the far background is the camp of the Trojans and Arcadians. (Lucy McInerney)

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Brant: Seastorm

In the top right quadrant of the image, Juno convinces Aeolus, king of the winds, to release the winds onto Aeneas's ships (I 65-80). The winds are depicted as four heads facing in cardinal directions blowing the winds from their mouths. These winds, in a rocky cave, take up the top left quadrant (81-87). Above Aeolus is a small raincloud with a small amount of rain. In the bottom half of the image, one of Aeneas's ships has a broken mast and another has its sails furled, signs that the fleet has endured a storm. There is one larger swell under Aeneas's ship, perhaps remnants of the storm. Neptune is on the left side below the winds, calming the storm (124-156, esp. 125-141). The combination of elements add up to a depiction of the moment just after the storm that occurred in lines 81-94 and 102-123. (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. 124v, executed by an anonymous engraver under the direction of Brant.

Comments

Sebastian Brant (1458­­–1521) was a humanist scholar of many competencies. Trained in classics and law at the University of Basel, Brant later lectured in jurisprudence there and practiced law in his native city of Strasbourg. While his satirical poem Das Narrenschiff won him considerable standing as a writer, his role in the transmission of Virgil to the Renaissance was at least as important. In 1502 he and Strasbourg printer Johannes Grüninger produced a major edition of Virgil’s works, along with Donatus’ Life and the commentaries of Servius, Landino, and Calderini, with more than two hundred woodcut illustrations (Annabel Patterson).

In Brant's...illustration, it is again mythology, rather than drama, which predominates to trace a history of the storm from Juno's royal visit to Aeolus's prison of the winds (fig. 12). The winds' grotesque faces peer outward from their womblike cavern (Vergil's "loca feta furentibus Austris") breathing decorative swirls. Rain falls from the clouds in this tempestuous region, but below it, the disturbance to Aeneas's fleet seems minimal. The ships float placidly in a rippled sea with Aeneas's upturned face the only sign of distress (Eleanor Winsor Leach).

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Eimmart: The sea nymphs come to Aeneas

Aeneas, standing in the bow of the flagship of his fleet, comes across sea nymphs, the former Trojan ships.

Aeneas, im Bug des Flaggschiffs einer Flotte stehend, begegnet auf dem Meer den Nymphen, den ehemaligen trojanishcen Schiffen. (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. 42.

 

Comments

During Aeneas' return trip from Pallanteum, the former fleet of Aeneas approaches him in the middle of the night as sea nymphs. Cymodocea, one of the nymphs, addresses Aeneas and tells him of the fighting that has broken out at Alba Longa. She is likely the nymph in the center of the engraving, with one arm outstretched, as described at lines 225 and 226. (Lucy McInerney)

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Eimmart: The deaths of Euryalus and Nisus

A rider (probably Volcens) thrusts his sword into the chest of a falling warrior (probably Euryalus). Some dead bodies lie on the ground and the whole right half of the engraving is filled by riders with bristling spears.

Ein Reiter (wohl Volcens) stößt einem niedersinkenden Krieger (wohl Euryalus) das Schwert in die Brust: am Boden liegen einige Leichen; die ganze rechte Hälfte des Kupferstichs ist gefüllt von Reitern mit starrenden Lanzen. (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. 41.

Comments

The action in this scene takes place at night, which is perhaps why the engraving is so dark. Suerbaum identifies the wounded man in the center of the engraving as Euryalus, but it is just as likely to be Nisus, and that Euryalus is the beautiful young man beneath him who is clearly already dead. A helmet sits on the ground in front of him, perhaps the very helmet that gave him away to the enemy at line 373. After witnessing Euryalus’ death at the hands of Volcens, Nisus fights the Rutulian and kills him, but is quickly slain himself. He falls across the body of his dead friend at lines 444-445. (Lucy McInerney)

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Eimmart: Berecynthia supplicates Jupiter

In the clouds of Olympus Berecynthia kneels (with a city crown) pleading before Jupiter (with an eagle); beneath nymphs splash around vessels in the sea.

In den Wolken des Olymp kniet Berecynthia (mit Mauerkrone) bittend vor Jupiter (mit Adler); unten Schiffe mit im Meer sich tummelnden Nymphen. (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. 40.

Comments

This engraving depicts a flashback in Book IX when Berecynthia, the mother of the gods, approached Jupiter as Aeneas was building his fleet from timber felled on Mount Ida. She asked that those ships should be saved, as their wood was taken from her favorite mountain grove. What Jupiter points to below their clouds is the ‘present’ moment in Book IX: Turnus has attacked the Trojan fleet and set it alight, but instead of burning the ships have sunk and remerged as sea nymphs. Jupiter wears a crown, as king of the gods, and is accompanied by his eagle, while Berecynthia wears a crown in the shape of a city. This is reference to normal classical depictions of Magna Mater. In the background sit the rest of the gods. From right to left, Neptune is discernible with his triton, Ares by his helmet and spear, Diana with her half moon coronet, and Mercury with his caduceus. (Lucy McInerney)

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