Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: Arcita and Palemone Admire Emilia in Her Garden
  • Creator:
  • Description: This image from a manuscript of Boccaccio's Teseida (1339-1340) depicts Emilia sitting within a walled garden and weaving a wreath of flowers for her hair while Arcita and Palemone admire her from their prison window. The Teseid relates the story of Theseus. Upon his victory in the Theban war, he captures the soldiers Arcita and Palemone and imprisons them at Athens. While imprisoned they both fall in love with beautiful Emilia, sister of Hippolyta, after hearing her singing from their window. This image, though secular in subject matter, recalls images of the Virgin within a walled garden--the hortus conclusus that symbolized her perpetual virginity. Emilia's flowing golden hair and sumptuous bue dress were often characteristic of portrayals of the Virgin. Even some of the flowers represented in this image oftened served as symbols of Mary's suffering (iris), her espousal by the Holy Spirit (columbine), or of Christ's Incarnation (rose).
  • Source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Rights: Public Domain
  • Subject (See Also): Classical Influences Flowers Gardens House of Anjou
  • Geographic Area: France
  • Century: 15
  • Date: ca. 1460
  • Related Work:
  • Current Location: Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 2617 Han, 53r
  • Original Location:
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Manuscript Illuminations
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Vellum (parchment); Gold; Tempera
  • Donor: Layman; Rene d'Anjou, Duke of Anjou, King of Naples (1409-1480) or Circle
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): 26.6 cm/20 cm/
  • Inscription: Phebus montant auecques ses chevaulx tcnoit l'humble beste du ciel qui porta Europe, c'est à dire que le souleil entré estoit ou signe de thaurus.
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