Skip to Content
Closed now, next open Thursday. Closed now, next open Thursday.

Virgil the Magician Hanging in the Basket

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

Image actions

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

Date:

1541/42

Artist:

Georg Pencz
German, c. 1500-1550

About this artwork

In stories told during the Renaissance the ancient Roman poet Virgil was known as a magician or sorcerer. In one legend, he became enamored of Emperor Augustus’s daughter. Uninterested in him, she tricked him into climbing into a basket to gain entry to her chambers. After pulling him halfway up the tower, she literally left him hanging, an object of public ridicule.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Georg Pencz

Title

Virgil the Magician Hanging in the Basket

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.

1541–1542

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/sheet: 5.7 × 8.2 cm (2 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer

Reference Number

1919.2313

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/77508/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.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share