13 April 2015

The suicide of Lucretia


This depiction is by the Flemish artist Joos van Cleve (ca. 1525).  I find it interesting that the artist was knowledgeable enough to depict a stab wound to the heart entering below the xiphoid.  Modern artists (and movie directors and people) tend to depict a downward thrust through the parasternal area that is so well protected by ribs and cartilage. 

Via The Reward of Cruelty.

5 comments:

  1. The suicide of Lucretia perhaps. Lucrezia Borgia never did that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, you're quite right of course. Title amended. Tx.

      Delete
  2. If you have not already, the Netflix series Borgia is phenomenal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw the first season of the Jeremy Irons/Showtime series; opted not to continue for the second year. It certainly was well done.

      Delete
  3. I don't think that wound would enter the heart. It's much higher up than we tend to imagine (product of starting in the neck during development) and the sword looks to be almost horizontal, so it would be stabbing the liver.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...