Master M.Z.
German, active 1500-1550
Aristotle and Phyllis
INV-2012
Master M.Z.
German, active 1500-1550c. 1500
Aristotle and Phyllis
Master M.Z. German, active 1500-1550 →engravingprint
Date
c. 1500
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet trimmed within platemark: 18.2 × 13.1 cm (7 3/16 × 5 3/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
According to legend, Alexander the Great’s tutor, Aristotle, counseled him to resist the seductions of Phyllis, the king’s mistress, and focus on his royal duties. But Aristotle ignored his own advice, and with her promise of sexual favors, let Phyllis mount him like a horse. Forewarned by Phyllis, Alexander was able to secretly observe his tutor’s humiliation. Brandishing a riding crop, here Phyllis amply demonstrates the power of feminine wiles over masculine intellect. Indeed, the philosopher’s sunken eyes and compromising position indicate his smitten blindness to his lust, as he is almost completely eclipsed by her voluminous skirts.
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