Lucretia Standing at a Column c. 1524

Barthel Beham created this tiny engraving of Lucretia, poised with a dagger, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. The composition is stark, using a high degree of contrast. Note how the dark, dense hatching of the background sets off the smooth, luminous skin of Lucretia. The figure is placed asymmetrically, next to a column. This both emphasizes her solitude and adds a classical element. The lines of the column create a rigid, vertical counterpoint to the fluid lines of her body and hair. This contrast embodies the tension between Lucretia’s inner turmoil and the stoic virtue she is about to enact. Consider how Beham employs the formal conventions of his time. The engraving’s lines create a visual language that speaks of morality, sacrifice, and the complex negotiation of female virtue. The act of engraving itself, with its precise lines, mirrors the decisive act Lucretia is about to perform.