Artwork Page for Dido

Details / Information for Dido

Dido

c. 1525

Aurelio Lombardo

(Italian, 1501–1563)
Culture
Italy
Medium
marble
Measurements
Overall: 50 x 26.5 x 14 cm (19 11/16 x 10 7/16 x 5 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 2021.2
Public Domain
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Location
117A Italian Renaissance
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Did You Know?

Dido’s nudity and hairstyle are allusions to ancient Greek images of Aphrodite.

Description

Artists customarily portrayed Dido as a forlorn lover abandoned by the Trojan hero, Aeneas, but here she is a conquering queen. Dido draws aside an oxhide curtain, a reference to the mythical founding of Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia, North Africa), when she was given an oxhide to demarcate granted land. By cutting it into thin strips she was able to encircle the future city. Dido was likely created for display in a studiolo, a place of study featuring refined works of art appreciated by humanist scholars and aficionados during the Renaissance.
A marble relief depicts the nude Dido leaning right, head turned back with mouth slightly open. Her wavy hair is styled in coils atop her head. Behind her, fabric hangs from rings. She rests her left hand on a pedestal featuring a carved bull's head and draped cloth. Latin text inscribed along the base reads "PVNICA SVM" and "MOENIA BYRSAE." Her body features a soft, defined abdomen and shifted hips.

Dido

c. 1525

Aurelio Lombardo

(Italian, 1501–1563)
Italy

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