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The Miracle of Cybele
(Renaissance Europe )
This plaque is part of a series whose designs were based upon the woodcut illustrations of an edition of Virgil, "Opera," edited by Sebastian Brant and printed by Johann Grüninger in Strasbourg, September 9, 1502 (96th illustration, fol. 329 vo). The same cuts appeared in an edition issued at Lyons in 1517 by Sacon.
The plaque depicts Messapus, leading a force of Etrurians and the Rutulians, who is terror-stricken at the sight of the Trojan vessels, which, having been set on fire by order of Turnus, were then metamorphosed by Jupiter at the prayer of the Mother of the Gods, Cybele. Near the burning ships appear two mermaids representing vessels already transformed. In the right upper corner Iris, sent by Juno, announces to Turnus that Aeneas has left his camp. In the middle ground the camp, designated by the banner inscribed TA (Troja), is represented as a medieval town.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Sale, Paris, 1868; Michel Boy, Paris, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, May 15, 1905, lot 193; Jamarin, Paris, 1909 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Raoul Heilbronner, Paris, 1910, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, July 1910, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1900 | Exposition Universelle. Paris. |
| 1868 | Exposition Universelle. Paris. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/8/1987 | Treatment | other |
| 10/30/1987 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
France, Limoges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 9/16 x W: 8 9/16 in. (24.3 x 21.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1910
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.142
