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Artemisia

A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

c. 1539

Artist:

Georg Pencz
German, c. 1500-1550

About this artwork

Queen Artemisia II of ancient Caria (died 350 B.C.) was renowned throughout history as a devoted spouse. In Georg Pencz’s engraving, she drinks the ashes of her husband, Mausolus, which she has mixed with wine, in order to turn her body into his living tomb. Artemisia ruled in her husband’s stead for two years, during which time she built a magnificent building at Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey) to house their combined remains. Although the structure, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, has been lost, the word mausoleum still reflects the grandeur of Artemisia’s
monument to Mausolus.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Georg Pencz

Title

Artemisia

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1520–1550

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/plate/sheet: 19.7 × 13.7 cm (7 13/16 × 5 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer

Reference Number

1919.2311

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/77504/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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