Virgil the Magician Hanging in the Basket
1541/42
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
5.7 × 8.2 cm (2.2 × 3.2 in)
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Not currently on view
In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026
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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
In stories told during the Renaissance the ancient Roman poet Virgil was known as a magician or sorcerer. In one legend, he became enamored of Emperor Augustus’s daughter. Uninterested in him, she tricked him into climbing into a basket to gain entry to her chambers. After pulling him halfway up the tower, she literally left him hanging, an object of public ridicule.
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