The Death of Lucretia 1500 - 1515

This small bronze roundel, "The Death of Lucretia," was made by Moderno in Italy around the turn of the 16th century. It depicts a tragic heroine from Roman history, Lucretia, who killed herself after being raped by a prince. Lucretia's story was often invoked during the Renaissance to illustrate themes of virtue, sacrifice, and resistance to tyranny, especially in republics like Florence and Venice. In that time many artists looked to classical antiquity for moral and aesthetic inspiration, finding in its stories the perfect expression of their present values. The image creates meaning through a visual code. The sword she holds is what she used to kill herself, but it's also a symbol of resistance, and a call to arms. The Italian Renaissance was a period of intense social change, and this sculpture reflects the era's complex relationship with gender, power, and the role of the individual in society. To understand it fully, we need to consult historical texts, literature, and philosophical writings from that time. This object reminds us that art's meaning is always shaped by the social and institutional context in which it's made and viewed.