Virgil the Magician Hanging in the Basket
Georg Pencz
1541/42
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/sheet: 5.7 × 8.2 cm (2 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77508
Rights
Public Domain
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.
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits