Lisabetta met het hoofd van Lorenzo c. 1745 - 1765

James McArdell created this mezzotint, Lisabetta with the Head of Lorenzo, sometime in the mid-18th century. It illustrates a story from Boccaccio's *Decameron*. Lisabetta's brothers murder her lover, Lorenzo. He appears to her in a dream and tells her where he is buried. Lisabetta exhumes his body, cuts off his head, and hides it in a pot of basil. This image builds meaning through familiar visual codes. In earlier paintings of this subject, the artist Sandro Botticelli presented Lisabetta as an innocent victim. But McArdell's Lisabetta appears much more knowing. Her unruffled appearance suggests a sense of autonomy and control, despite the situation. The composition and tonal range are very similar to those employed in paintings of Judith with the Head of Holofernes. The art market of the 1700s thrived on dramatic and emotional imagery. This print speaks to some of the cultural and institutional forces that shape artistic production. It underscores the market demand for sensational stories that still resonates today. Through careful historical research, we can better understand the relationship between art and society.