Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

Title: Aristotle and Phyllis
Creator:
Description: According to a thirteenth-century account, Phyllis was the lover of Alexander the Great. The philospher Aristotle, Alexander's teacher, reprimanded him for allowing a woman to distract him. As revenge, Phyllis exposes her body to Aristotle, exciting his desire. She orders him to allow her to ride on his back, as on a horse and the philosopher complies. Here we see the point at which Phyllis has mounted Aristotle and calls to Alexander, who witnesses this episode with a companion. While the original message of this account was that young love should not be denied, it eventually became a cautionary tale of the wiliness of women and the dangers their sexuality poses to men. This work formed a set with the Hausbuchmeister engraving of The Idolatry of Solomon.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Public Domain
Subject (See Also): Aristotle, Ancient Philosopher Carnivalesque Misogyny Phyllis, Lover of Aristotle Power of Women (Literary Topos) Sexuality
Geographic Area: Germany
Century: 15
Date: ca. 1483-1487
Related Work: Idolatry of Solomon: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hausbuchmeister_Salomos_G%C3%B6tzendienst.jpg
Current Location: Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, RP-P-OB-917
Original Location:
Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Prints
Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Engravings
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm): //
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