Artwork
The death of Lucretia
The death of Lucretia is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master with the Parrot. It dates from 1501 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Created in 1501, this oil painting portrays the Roman heroine Lucretia at the moment of her suicide.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1501, this oil painting portrays the Roman heroine Lucretia at the moment of her suicide. Executed by the Antwerp workshop known as the Master with the Parrot, the work now belongs to the collection of the Museo del Prado. It belongs to the genre of history painting, a popular form for narrative scenes in early sixteenth‑century Flemish art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows Lucretia seated, a sword thrust through her chest, the hilt gripped in her right hand. Her torn white dress exposes her bare chest, while a red robe drapes her shoulders. The figure’s calm, downward‑glancing gaze and serene expression convey a dignified acceptance of her self‑inflicted death, echoing the classical story of her sacrifice for honor.
Technique & Style
The artist employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, setting the luminous skin and golden jewelry against a deep, almost black background. This contrast models the figure’s volume and highlights the gleam of her necklace and ring. The handling of oil paint reflects a synthesis of Flemish detail with emerging Italianate influences, characteristic of the Master with the Parrot’s workshop.
History & Provenance
The painting emerged from a workshop that supplied devotional images to Antwerp’s bourgeois clientele. Though originally intended for a private setting, it entered the Spanish royal collection in the eighteenth century before being transferred to the Prado, where it remains on display.
Context
Lucretia’s story was a frequent moral exemplar in Renaissance art, symbolising virtue and civic duty. In the early 1500s, Flemish painters increasingly incorporated Italian compositional ideas, and this work illustrates that cross‑cultural exchange, merging local narrative traditions with the dramatic lighting favored by Italian masters.
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Artist & collection
Artist
The Master with the Parrot or Master of the Parrot (fl. between 1520 and 1540) is the notname given to a group of Flemish painters who likely worked in a workshop in Antwerp in the first half of the 16th century. They…
