Selbstmord der Lucretia,

1524/30

Material / Technology / Carrier

Lindenholz (Tilia sp.)

Dimensions of the object

194 x 75 cm

Displayed

AP OG Saal V

Department

Altdeutsche Malerei

Genre

Malerei

Inventory number

691

Acquisition

Aus der Herzoglichen Kammergalerie München; vermutlich 1608 vom bayerischen Herzog Maximilian I. erworben

Stock

Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München

Citation

Lucas Cranach d. Ä., Selbstmord der Lucretia, 1524/30, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/7yxYbJwLYm (Last updated on 12.04.2024)

It is the story of a crime that took place in the year 509 BC: the king’s son, Sextus Tarquinius, threatened Lucretia, a general’s wife, by declaring that unless she yielded to his advances, he would kill her and place her dead body next to that of a murdered male slave, thus making it appear he had punished them for committing adultery. To avoid disgrace, Lucretia surrendered and then, after informing her husband and father, stabbed herself to death. Public outrage ultimately led to the end of the Roman monarchy. Lucretia came to be seen as one of the most famous women in history and an epitome of virtue.