Monday, March 27, 2023

History of the Destruction of Troy

The Historia destructionis Troiae ("History of the destruction of Troy") is a Latin prose narrative written by a Sicilian named Guido delle Colonne in the early 13th century. It was mainly based on earlier medieval romances rather than ancient sources, so it is several removes from the Iliad. Several impressive illustrated manuscripts were made in the later Middle Ages and Renaissance. This one was illustrated by François Colombe in the late 1500s and early 1600s, now in the Bibliotheque Nationale. Part of the fun of this is trying to figure out what scenes each image might represent. I think that's part of the Judgement of Paris above.






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