Footed Plate with the Death of Virginia

In the lower right, a dying young woman begins to sink to the floor. This plate illustrates a story from the ancient Roman historian Livy, a frequently read source for history in the Renaissance. Virginia was killed by her father, Virginius, in order to save her from a life of slavery. Virginius stabbed his daughter rather than allow her to be seized by the lustful and wicked judge, Appius Claudius. Sitting among the tangle of figures at the left, the judge points downward to Virginia, who is suffering from her fatal neck wound. At the same moment, the sun sets in the landscape behind her, a reference to her impending death.