Hasdrubal 's wife throws herself into the flames

Engraving, before 1562, without signature. After Baldassarre Peruzzi.

Example in the second state of two, with the inscription and the signature of Philippe Thomassin. A very good impression, on laid paper with “Reverenda Camera Apostolica” watermark, trimmed to the platemark, in very good conditions.

Pierre Woeiriot comes from a family of goldsmiths from Lorraine, and was engraver and bronziere, much influenced by the Italian Renaissance. He recorded several works from drawings by Italian artists; today is not sure the paternity of Peruzzi, since no model is known today.

The episode depicted is narrated by Appiano , set in Carthage in the year 146. C. Scipio besieged the city, to save further sacrifices to his troops, issue an invitation that would grant salvation to all who would surrender . They obeyed at 50,000, led by Hasdrubal . Affected by the cowardice of the gesture made by the husband, the wife of Hasdrubal swore at him and called revenge, then pulled out a knife, killed the children and threw them into the flames that the Romans had set. Livio reports the episode with some variations: the woman is thrown into the fire with their children alive. And this is the version followed by the engraver: the scene shows the woman is in the act of launching the flames with his two sons in their arms still alive and terrified.

In the Index of prints from the workshop De Rossi, among the works of Baldassare Peruzzi citing its title Hasdrubal 's wife who rushes into the fire with two childrens in arm, followed by “intaglio a bulino di Pierre Voeiro in foglio reale”. Of the drawing that would serve as a model, however, nothing is known .

Bibliografia

Le Beau Style p. 178 n. 76; La Bella Maniera, 58; Robert-Dumesnil VII, p. 94, 206.