Georg Pencz
German, c. 1500-1550
Artemisia
INV-7750
Georg Pencz
German, c. 1500-1550c. 1539
Artemisia
Georg Pencz German, c. 1500-1550 →engravingprint
Date
c. 1539
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate/sheet: 19.7 × 13.7 cm (7 13/16 × 5 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer
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.
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