3-041-234 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Suicide of Queen Dido; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Additional Info: Dido appears shown atop the blazing funeral pyre she constructed for herself, plunging a dagger into her breast before a group of horrified onlookers. Daughter of the king of Tyre, Dido was grief stricken after her husband was murdered by her brother. She fled from her homeland to the coast of Africa, where she purchased a piece of land from a local chieftain, Iarbas, and founded the city of Carthage. As the city prospered, Iarbas persistently sought her hand in marriage. In her desperation to evade his suit, she chose to commit suicide.