ticketsMember | Make a donation

Lucretia

1530
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520
Lucretia was a beautiful and virtuous noblewoman who committed suicide in 510 bce after being raped by Prince Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the last Roman king. Her tragic death brought about the rebellion that established the Roman Republic. The subject of a secular story about ancient Rome, Lucretia was nevertheless admired for her chastity by religious writers during the Renaissance. She was both touted as a model of Christian womanhood and sexualized as an acceptable subject for artistic depictions of sensuous female nudes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lucretia
  • Artist: Daniel Mauch (1477–1540)
  • Date: 1530
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens); pedestal: various pieces of dark colored wood, including pieces of ebony (Diospyros sp.)
  • Dimensions: Overall (statuette): 8 3/8 × 3 × 2 1/2 in. (21.3 × 7.6 × 6.4 cm);
    Overall (pedestal): 2 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 3 in. (6.4 × 7.9 × 7.6 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Miniature
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.582
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Shield Bearer with the Ducal Arms of Saxony, Hans Daucher German, Honestone (Jurassic limestone), partially polychromed and gilded, German, Augsburg
Shield Bearer with the Ducal Arms of Saxony
Hans Daucher
ca. 1520
Two Landsknechts, Bronze, with natural brown patina, and remains of black lacquer, German, probably Nuremberg
Two Landsknechts
German, probably Nuremberg
mid-16th century
Seated Hercules, Bronze, German, Nuremberg
Seated Hercules
German, Nuremberg
probably first quarter 16th century
Allegory of Virtues and Vices at the Court of Charles V, Hans Daucher German, Honestone (Jurassic limestone), traces of gilding, German, probably Augsburg
Allegory of Virtues and Vices at the Court of Charles V
Hans Daucher
ca. 1522
Relief mounted as a mirror frame, Wenzel Jamnitzer German, Gilded silver, ebony, mirror plate (later), German, Nuremberg
Relief mounted as a mirror frame
Wenzel Jamnitzer
ca. 1568

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.