The Death of Dido 1624 - 1663

"The Death of Dido," a pen and brown ink drawing by Francesco Allegrini (1615-1679), depicts the tragic demise of Queen Dido, founder of Carthage, from Virgil’s Aeneid. The drawing, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, showcases a dramatic scene of Dido’s death, surrounded by her grieving subjects, as a winged figure, likely Cupid, flies away. The rapid lines and loose composition characteristic of Allegrini's style give the drawing a sense of immediacy, capturing the emotional intensity of this pivotal moment in the story of Dido.