Virgil the Sorcerer
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Virgil the Sorcerer” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Virgil (70-19 B.C.E.) was the most famous poet of his time, honored as a divinity after his death. In the popular tradition, the admiration for his literary work went along with that for his supposed powers as a sorcerer. The engraving tells the story of his spurned love for the Emperor’s daughter, who pretended to accept the poet’s advances. She agreed to receive him in secret by lifting him up to her room in a basket, but halfway up she left him dangling until daylight revealed his laughable predicament to the Romans. The prank laid bare the susceptibility of even such a revered man to ordinary human passions. The emperor saves Virgil from further punishments as the magical poet takes his revenge by extinguishing all fires in Rome, except that particular one residing between the legs of the Emperor’s daughter.
Read on
And for years thereafter, the citizens knew that from that source they could kindle their flames. The tale, which had great popularity between the 14th and 16th centuries, captures the foolishness of all who are in love, but also underscores the malevolent power of lustful women.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- P.99.14.1
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
